Student Training

Graduate students in the Boston University  Department of  Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences at Sargent College facilitate sessions under the guidance of a licensed clinical supervisor who specializes in the treatment of fluency disorders. Students meet with their supervisor weekly to discuss both client and clinician performance and to plan individualized programs.

BU teaches evidence-based practice in the treatment of stuttering, including techniques for motor speech change and cognitive approaches for greater self-acceptance. At the Center, our students can apply their academic learning in Stuttering and Related Disorders and Counseling courses to real-world practice.

Here’s what some of our speech, language & hearing sciences students said about their training:

“Being part of the stuttering group at the CST taught me exactly what a therapy group should be: something that is largely led by the people it’s supposed to serve. As student clinicians, we were there to provide some suggested topics, probing questions, and the occasional strategy. But mostly we just observed some really cool people build a community for each other—one where they can share similar challenges and sometimes wildly different opinions about their experience as a person who stutters in an accepting space.“ Emma Rogers (Class of 2024)

“Going into my placement in the CST, I was eager to learn more about a population I had no prior experience interacting with. Under the mentorship of Diane Constantino, I was inspired by her dedication and passion for advocating for people who stutter. As I reflect on my time as a graduate student clinician in the CST, I am overwhelmed by the gratitude and appreciation 

I continue to share for the program. Now serving as a certified speech-language pathologist working with people who stutter, I am proud of the invaluable tools and resources I am equipped with because of my unique clinical experience as a graduate student in the CST; a program that is authentic to the BU speech-language pathology department. I will continue to recommend the CST with the highest praise.” Lindsay Tretton (Class of 2022)      

“I feel so lucky to have gotten to work with such a diverse group of clients in my individual and group therapy experiences at the Center for Stuttering Therapy. The experiences with these clients have been unforgettable. ”  – Sherilyn Morse (Class of 2020)

“Participating in the Center for Stuttering Therapy as a graduate student clinician was a unique and fulfilling clinical experience. It was a wonderful opportunity to gain experience helping several individuals with different severities of disfluency, while also learning how to provide therapy in a group setting.” – Sara Kleinman (Class of 2018)