ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the work of two, who perhaps exemplify a ‘psychological’ approach most clearly: Sheehan and Fransella. It discusses later developments of Fransella’s personal construct theory approach to treatment as it is practised in Britain and elsewhere today. Superficially, Fransella’s theory in relation to the treatment of stuttering would appear to be similar to Sheehan’s, in that the stutterer’s role as a speaker is the major focus of concern. A number of therapists in Britain and elsewhere have been applying the personal construct approach to stuttering since the publication of Fransella’s work and the establishment of training courses in this form of psychotherapy. In fact, most workers of whatever persuasion acknowledge the importance of the psychological aspects of stuttering. There are many variations on the use of self characterisation both in the exploratory phase and later on in therapy.
