Forfattere
Hilda Sønsterud, Melanie Kirmess, Kirsten Howells, David Ward, Kristin Billaud Feragen, Margrethe Seeger Halvorsen.
Abstract
Background
Multiple factors can influence the working alliance and treatment outcome in speech and language therapy. The ‘working alliance’ is an important concept in treatment and can be described as the degree to which a treatment dyad is engaged in collaborative, purposive work. To date, relatively little attention has been paid to this concept within speech and language treatment in general, and within stuttering treatment research in particular.
Aims
To investigate the role of the working alliance within stuttering treatment, and to evaluate whether the quality of the working alliance correlated with clients’ concept of motivation and treatment outcomes 6 months post‐therapy.
Methods & Procedures
Eighteen adults (21‐61 years) participated in this multiple single‐case treatment study, with treatment facilitated by an experienced speech and language therapist. The working alliance was investigated using the Working Alliance Inventory—Short Version Revised (WAI‐SR), an Extended version of the Client Preferences for Stuttering Treatment (CPST‐E), the Overall Assessment of Speakers’ Experience of Stuttering—Adult version (OASES‐A), the Wright & Ayre Stuttering Self‐Rating Profile (WASSP) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).