University/Organization
Communication Sciences & Disorders
California State University
Fullerton, California
Title
Understanding the Emotional Impact of Communication Disorders as a Way to Develop Counseling Skills
Synopsis
The emotional impact of communication disorders (e.g., hearing loss, autism, stuttering, aphasia- loss of language, etc.) on individuals and their families are evident; however, most speech-language clinicians do not feel comfortable providing counseling services due to lack of training. To increase clinicians’ ability to help clientele and their families cope with their disorders and boost treatment outcomes, understanding the stress of the clients and families is critical for developing needed counseling skills such as empathy and active listening.