Cognitive-Behavioral Components in the Treatment of Stuttering

Stuttering is often accompanied by affective reactions like shame, guilt and anxiety. These emotions may trigger avoidance behaviors and social withdrawal which reduce the quality of life of those who stutter. Common stuttering treatment approaches such as fluency shaping or stuttering modification address the client's emotions in an indirect and incomplete manner. This article outlines methods of cognitive behavior therapy that may fill this gap. Cognitive behavior therapy has proven to be effective in reducing negative emotional reactions to stuttering. Methods of cognitive restructuring are described, which mainly consist of (1) exploring emotional reactions to stuttering, (2) tracing them back to dysfunctional cognitions, (3) developing more realistic and functional belief systems, and (4) applying these alternative views in everyday life. It is discussed how methods of cognitive behavior therapy can be integrated into existing fluency-shaping and stuttering modification treatment approaches.