When Goals Aren’t Yours: Rebuilding Goals with Clients Who’ve Been Told What to Want

When a client says, “I don’t want to stutter,” what are they really saying and who taught them to say it?

Often, that sentiment is less about personal preference and more about years of being told that fluency is the only goal worth aiming for. In this engaging session, we’ll dig into what it really means to set goals with our stuttering clients, not for them.

Join Nicole Kulmaczewski, M.S., CCC-SLP, for a conversation that goes beyond the “fix it” mindset. We’ll explore how to gently shift the narrative, introduce clients to neurodiversity-affirming therapy approaches they may never have imagined, and co-create goals rooted in identity, acceptance, advocacy, and empowerment.

We’re not completely ditching fluency work; we’re just widening the lens and making room for more. More trust. More transparency. More collaboration. You’ll leave with strategies for navigating tricky expectations, reframing the purpose of therapy, and helping clients discover goals that reflect who…