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From: Russ Hicks
Date: 10/5/03
Time: 12:22:02 PM
Remote Name: 12.237.88.139
Hey Jennifer!
Great paper! Chris Roach and I have spent HOURS talking about this exact same issue with regards to covert stuttering. Indeed, the Iceberg Analogy (see my paper above in the conference) clearly shows that the vast majority of the problems encountered in covert stuttering are BELOW the waterline. And that's exactly where the self esteem issues lie.
Woody Starkweather just suggested to me in a reply to my paper that future SLPs will have to learn to become SCUBA divers! How true this is! I know it must be extremely scary for students to recognize that they MUST deal with these issues. Sheree Reese in her comment below said "... my students go into a panic, feeling highly unprepared and thus unqualified in this area (and worried that they will find themselves out of their area of expertise)." Yep. Welcome to the world of speech pathology especially as it relates to stuttering. As I've told a lot of students - yours included, I believe - "If you want an easy profession, become a rocket scientist. If you want a tough profession, become an SLP." A single law, Newton's third law of action/reaction, forms the basis for rocket science. We wish that speech pathology was that simple...
Your paper goes right to the heart of this extremely complex area - below the waterline of the iceberg. The question now becomes how do we prepare the students to help others deal with their own problems in this area? How do we prepare them to work as SCUBA divers in the scary cold and dark? It takes remarkable people... like you!
You're doing a fantastic job with all your students, Jennifer! And, as Chris said, thanks for being a wonderful friend to the NSA.
I always look forward to seeing you and speaking with your students at TCU!
Russ