Why do many people with disorders of communication experience a sense of
demoralization? Do these subjective experiences have any bearing on how
such problems should be treated? How can professionals dealing with
speech, language, hearing and other communication disorders analyse and
respond to the subjective and relational needs of clients with such
problems?
In this book, authors in the fields of communication disorders analyse
the psychological, social and linguistic processes and interactions that
underpin clinical practice, from both client and clinician perspectives.
The chapters demonstrate how it is possible to analyze and understand
client-clinician discourse using qualitative research, and describe
various challenges to establishing relationships such as cultural,
gender and age differences. The authors go on to describe self-care
processes, the therapeutic use of the self, and various psychological
factors that could be important for developing therapeutic
relationships. Also covered are the rarely considered topics of
spirituality and transpersonal issues, which may at times be relevant to
clinicians working with clients who have debilitating, degenerative and
terminal illnesses associated with certain communication disorders.
While this book is geared toward the needs of practicing and training
speech, language and hearing clinicians, other professional such as
teachers of the deaf, psychotherapists, nurses, and occupational
therapists will find the ideas relevant, interesting and easily
translatable for use in their own clinical practice.
