Therapeutic Relationship and Intervention

¶ … personal reflection about establishing a therapeutic relationship with fluency clients. Fluency refers to clients dealing with a communication disorder, such as stuttering, which is speech containing monosyllabic whole-word repetitions, part-word repetitions, audible sound prolongations, silent fixations, or blockages. People suffering from fluency disorders have an extremely difficult time communicating with others, which becomes very frustrating and upsetting. These clients know exactly what they want to say, but cannot express their thoughts due to spontaneous disturbances in their normal fluency of speech.

People who suffer from the disorder also may get teased or rejected by their peers because of their speech dysfluency, which causes feelings of anger and pain. It is crucial to take the feelings and attitudes of the fluency client into consideration when establishing a therapeutic relationship. People suffering from fluency disorders are prone to have negative feelings and thoughts due to their speech difficulty. Therefore, as a therapist, it is important to be sensitive and sympathetic during therapeutic intervention.

Having efficient listening skills is crucial for developing a successful relationship with the client. Getting to know the client and understanding their emotions will give direction on how to treat the client and know which goals to work on. It is also very essential to gain the trust of the client in order to move forward with the intervention plan because without trust the client will be reluctant to do the work, which will in turn be detrimental for his/her health.

Fluency clients struggle on a daily basis trying to communicate with others. Their constant struggle affects their mood and approach towards life in a negative way. Gaining trust is crucial to maintaining a steady rapport with your client. In order to gain that trust, it's absolutely necessary to be empathetic and sensitive towards your client's feelings and their emotions regarding their dysfluency.

The understanding of the client's feelings and attitudes regarding his/her condition is crucial towards establishing a therapeutic relationship with him/her since it influences decision making about the most suitable and effective therapeutic intervention. Given the nature of their condition and their vulnerability to mockery, fluency clients usually need people who can listen to and understand them. This process implies that establishing a therapeutic relationship is vital towards dealing with the condition and help fluency clients to have a positive attitude towards life.

Through listening and understanding these needs, the caregiver/therapist acts as a supportive pillar that can be relied upon by the client. The therapist's capability to develop and implement an effective intervention plan is largely dependent on his/her ability to understand the client's condition and his/her feelings and attitudes about it. The development and implementation of an intervention or treatment plan is preceded by assessments that are geared towards determining the presence of a disorder, its nature and severity, and the most suitable treatment plan.

During the implementation process, assessments are continuously carried out to monitor the client's progress vis-a-vis the therapy.