Counseling, support, and advocacy for clients who stutter

Fluency disorders are communicative disabilities that can lead to psychosocial and emotional issues. The most prevalent of these disorders is stuttering. People who stutter may cope with stigmatization and discrimination throughout their lives as a result of misconceptions and misinformation about the disability's etiology and manifestations. Mental health professionals have contributed to these negative experiences by their lack of knowledge about stuttering. This article provides information on the physical, psychological, and social causal factors and implications of fluency disorders, so that social workers can engage in ethical practice to alleviate the mental anguish of their clients who stutter and enable them to reach their full potential. An advocacy role with other professionals, such as educators and speech-language pathologists, is described.