The Power Of Being Quiet Episode 13
Posted on: July 12, 2010
Episode 13 (Lucky # 13) is a great conversation about stuttering with a woman who doesn’t stutter. This episode features Jill Douglass, who is from Lafayette, LA. I first met Jill at a NSA Conference, but really got to know her at the Friends Convention in New Orleans in 2008. We have been email, text and Face book friends since then.
Jill is in her fourth year of her PhD program at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She is pursuing advanced studies in the speech and language field, with a strong interest in academia and research. She is co-leader of the Lafayette NSA Chapter, along with Derek Johnson and Al Thomas.
Jill is a SLP who “gets it”. She understands that stuttering is about the whole person, and wants to be involved in teaching new clinicians how to best work with people who stutter. She is interested in the complexity of covert stuttering, which is the focus of her doctoral research. Specifically, she wants to understand the process of going from covert to overt.
Jill and I talk about what people who stutter have taught her and the value of quiet listening in a loud and rushed world. She also talks about going to Oslo, Norway for a linguistics conference, where she had an opportunity to present some of her research efforts on covert stuttering.
Listen in to a great conversation with a great friend of the stuttering community. Feel free to leave comments as well. The interactive feedback on this blog and podcast is really special.
Musical credit for “Silver Shine” goes to Dano Songs.
6 Responses to "The Power Of Being Quiet Episode 13"
July 13, 2010 at 1:16 PM
Beautiful conversation! I love the excerpt about the need to do something.
“After I was introduced to the NSA…taken into the world of stuttering…got to know so many people who stutter…and get to love so many people who stutter…, I can’t sit around with this type of information. That would be so wasteful. There’s so much that needs to be done in the world of stuttering. We can’t just sit around. We have to do.”
I’m a speech language pathologist and just attended my first NSA convention this last week. Now that I have been welcomed into the world of stuttering, I am ready to do. Now I need to figure out what that looks like for me.
I love Jill’s perspective. I’m ready to join the team of SLPs who take time to listen and look at the holistic aspects of stuttering.
Thanks Jill and Pam for sharing your dialogue!
July 13, 2010 at 5:15 PM
Jocelyn,
Thanks for listening and taking the time to comment. Even though Jill doesn’t stutter, I knew when I started this I had to have her on. Her perspective is priceless, and she and I have talked so much and she always listens and gets me and is open to letting stuttering teach her.
From just the short time I met and talked with you, it seems you are so open to listening and learning to the whole person, not just what comes out of our mouths.
I hope you will check in often – we all teach each other so much!
July 14, 2010 at 2:09 PM
Jump on Jocelyn! We need to do anything that will benefit the person being affected by stuttering… it may be as easy as doing an inservice at a school for the faculty, or starting a NSA kids group or getting your PhD and researching (ok, that one isn’t simple BUT it is always an option!).
Thank you so much for listening to the podcast and reflecting on what was said. That really means a lot!
Pam, thank you for the kind words. You are too kind to me!
Make Room For The Stuttering 
July 12, 2010 at 9:34 PM
Jill-
Thanks for sharing. It is great to hear your honesty from the other side. I am glad you had an experienced supervisor for your first adult fluency client. The counseling is so important and you seem to really get it. Lori
July 14, 2010 at 2:04 PM
I am honored to be on this podcast. I agree, at times I believe that counseling skills hold far greater of an influence on client’s progress than many other speech skills that are taught in therapy. I appreciate your compliment!
Jill