Applying cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) components to stuttering treatment with an adolescent - a case study

Abstract: Background: Studies show that many adolescents and adults who stutter show higher than normal levels of social anxiety, and that the presence of anxiety increases the risk for poor responses to standard stuttering treatments. Recent research points towards the successful treatment of social anxiety and social phobia in adults who stutter through cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and calls on speech-language pathologists to incorporate CBT components within their treatment of adults who stutter Purpose: The aim of this paper is to illustrate how CBT principles were applied to stuttering therapy with an adolescent and to examine whether the client found the treatment helpful. Method: CBT concepts and strategies were applied to stuttering therapy with a 15-year old male seeking speech-language pathology intervention. Eight recorded treatment sessions, which were later transcribed and analyzed, a notebook used du1ing the therapy, and various evaluation measures completed before, during, and after the treatment constitute the material used within the study. Results: The case presentation describes the client's response to the therapy, presents the main themes and structure of the therapy, and provides examples of CBT and speech-language pathology interventions implemented during the course of the treatment. The results gathered from the various evaluation measures are presented and indicate that the client was helped by the therapy. Conclusion: The principles of CBT can be successfully incorporated within speech-language pathology intervention with adolescents who stutter