Council of Effective Communication

We are the Capital District Council of Effective Commnuation for children, teens, and adults who stutter, as well as interested families and professionals. We believe that stuttering is complex and multidimensional and should be treated in a synergistic framework. That is, we believe one must work at learning the process of normal speech and language production, while working on attitudes in environmental situations. We foster empowerment and provide positive experience to enhance self-esteem, assertiveness and an internalization of control. These activities constitute a flight to freedom, which is an ongoing journey that includes our council members, their journey that includes our council members, their families, and the significant people in their lives. We are also committed to preparing and mentoring young professionals to serve the needs of people who stutter and their families.

Our Philosophy

• Our synergistic philosophy combines direct work with speech and language as well as attitudinal and environmental components in order to create a holistic program.
• Our treatment is individual in order to meet the needs of each client.
• Our treatment combines individual and group therapy opportunities with short-term incentive and long term follow up.
• Our program integrates principles of fluency shaping and stuttering modification throughout.  
• Our students in training are closely supervised by a team of professionals who specialize in therapy for those who stutter.

Our Beliefs

• We believe that people who stutter do have the ability to change their stuttering pattern and to minimize their feelings of fear and guilt.
• We believe that people who stutter can become effective communicators.
• We believe that group support is a necessary component of stuttering treatment.
• We believe that the journey of partnership, empowerment, and treatment of stuttering are facilitated by the interaction of council members, students and professionals.

Our Goals

1. Speech-Language Goals:

• To teach the tools of normal speech production.
• To teach the process of monitoring speech using both stuttering modification and fluency shaping techniques.
• To monitor carryover of techniques in the individual session, the group session and the environment.

2. Attitudinal Goals:

• To provide opportunities for council members to grow in self-esteem, a sense of control and assertiveness.
•  To provide experiences of overcoming fears and anxieties related to stuttering behaviors.
•  To foster open communication about the feelings connected with stuttering
•  To help each person who stutters recognize that they are not alone.

3. Environmental Goals:

• To create a collaborative environment where members who stutter and those who don’t meet and assist each other.
•  To mentor those interested in stuttering: new council members, graduate students, children, adolescents, parents, families and professionals.
•  To continue to reach out to every aspect of every day life so that avoidances are soon replaced by communication successes.