About Us

History

The Center was founded in the early 1980’s by the late clinician and researcher Joseph Germono, PhD. Dr. Germono earned his master of science at University of Wisconsin and his PhD from the University of Minnesota. He joined Boston University in 1977 as Director of Clinical Education. He was loved for his warmth, sensitivity, and sense of humor, as well as his intelligence and expertise in the assessment and treatment of stuttering.

Following Dr. Germono’s retirement, Diane Constantino headed the CST for over 30 years during which the center significantly expanded the services offered. She is also responsible for establishing the “mindset and muscles” philosophy core to the CST’s approach to stuttering therapy.  Diane impacted countless lives over her tenure at Boston University and was adored for her compassion, attentive listening, creativity, and expert integration of warmth and humanity into her work with clients and students.

Philosophy

The core philosophy of the CST centers around an integrated approach to stuttering therapy.  We work with clients of all ages to consider the individualized and multidimensional presentation of stuttering.  Therapy supports clients in making individually-relevant changes in the areas of self-knowledge, self-management, self-assessment, and self-advocacy which aligns with client-stated values and encourages increased participation in life.  The CST prioritizes confident and authentic communication, with a focus on forward flowing speech rather than fluent speech.  All work is rooted in current evidence-based best practices, and leans heavily on principles from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, and Palin Parent-Child Interaction Therapy.

CST Director

Caroline Brinkert, MS, CCC-SLP, has served as the Center for Stuttering Therapy director since 2022. A full-time lecturer in Boston University’s Department of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences, she is an accepted applicant for board certification in stuttering, cluttering, and fluency disorders.  Caroline has been in clinical practice for over 12 years and is passionate about working with stutterers across the life span, as well as supporting parents and families.   She received her Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Boston University, under the mentorship of former CST director Diane Constantino. She holds a Clinical Certificate of Competence in Speech-Language Pathology from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, as well as Massachusetts professional licensure.