Cluttering: The value of including the first-person perspective in speech-language therapy and research

Webinar description: In the field of cluttering, there is still limited research into what is experienced as relevant and meaningful tools in the management of cluttering. Because of a limited knowledge base, this contribution will focus on personal experiences and what people who clutter themselves have considered relevant and effective in communication. Since speech and communication skills involve a wide range of neurological functions associated with language, motor control and attention, intrapersonal factors in people who clutter can often influence both processes and therapy outcomes to an even greater extent. This in turn can lead to extra challenges in the working alliances related to cluttering.
The working alliance matters and can be described as the degree to which a therapy dyad is engaged in collaborative, purposive work. Therapy evaluations should therefore incorporate evaluation of the client-clinician relationship, particularly from the perspective of the client. A practice-based approach where concrete examples of people who have experienced positive changes will therefore be emphasized. The overall aim is to get more SLTs to work more flexibly and individually in the collaboration with people who clutter, and to secure even more tools in the SLT’s ‘toolbox’. By developing insight and practice-based expertise within the field of cluttering, we may assume that both collaborative processes and treatment outcomes can be strengthened and made more efficient for people who clutter.

Speaker: Hilda Sønsterud (PhD) is a speech-language therapist (SLT) and a clinical researcher in Norway. She works as a Senior Advisor at Statped, National Service for special needs education, and as an Associate Professor II at Nord university, Faculty of Education and Arts. Hilda works primarily with treatment and research related to stuttering and cluttering, and she has investigated the therapeutic alliance within speech-language therapy. Hilda is particularly engaged by how research within the field of stuttering and cluttering is defining evidence. Hilda is ESS-certified and is a national representative in the International Cluttering Association (ICA). She runs courses and workshops within the field of stuttering and cluttering, and she provides clinical practice and supervision for SLT students and SLTs.

Related References:
Sønsterud, H., Kirmess, M., Howells, K., Ward, D., Feragen, K. B., & Halvorsen, M. S. (2019). The working alliance in stuttering treatment: A neglected variable? International journal of language & communication disorders, 54(4):606-619, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1460-6984.12465
Sønsterud, H. (2019). The Importance of the Working Alliance in the Treatment of Cluttering, Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, (4):1568-1572 https://pubs.asha.org/doi/full/10.1044/2019_PERS-19-00057
Tournier, C. (2024) Therapeutic alliance and working alliance in stuttering and cluttering. Podcast Exploring Research, https://exploringresearch.lepodcast.fr/