Successful Stuttering Management Program (SSMP)

By Erika Rodriguiez and Liz Zupan

This program was designed by Dorvan H. Breitenfeldt Ph.D. CCC-SLP, a stutterer himself, and Delores Rustad Lorenz M.S. CCC-SLP in 1954
It is an intensive therapy program designed for adolescents and adults over 15
It was designed to help stutterers recognize the fact that they’re stutterers and to help them manage their disfluency through different techniques
The program provides a practical , hands-on approach to stuttering therapy
The program is available as a packaged program or as a summer program through Eastern Washington University
Has been translated into German and Spanish and there are now ongoing workshops in Germany, Argentina, and South Africa
Another summer camp has been started in Salt Lake City, Utah

SSMP Packaged Program

The packaged program costs $54.95 plus tax
It is in its second edition
The clinician should be an AHSA certified SLP
Designed for individual or group therapy (but written for a group)
Group therapy is encouraged for mutual support
Is a program of “doing” stuttering not philosophizing about it
Stuttering is not curable, but the stutterer can learn to manage their stuttering
Includes 17-session therapy plans with objectives and procedures
A compact disk program accompanies the program that includes prolongations and cancellation drills and exercises
Includes reproducible therapy handouts
Includes reward techniques and reinforcers
Includes charts, journals, drills, and logs to work on areas of stuttering
Includes home assignments, as well as encouragement tips for family and friends
A certificate of completion is given at the end of the program
Can be used in schools, therapy, hospitals, privately or in university settings

Three week intensive program

A summer program offered through Eastern Washington University
Runs for 3 ½ weeks
Costs $800 for diagnostic and therapy and approximately $750 for room and board
Some scholarships are available
Only 10 participants are accepted
Participants stay in dormitory housing for the opportunity to relate closely with each other
Participants have therapy 4 hours a day for 6 days a week.
They work in pairs and small groups on the weekend as well
Word and situation fears are worked on through activities such as telephone conversations, talking to groups or classes, and talking to strangers
The final 10 days of the program focus on three management techniques
1. Prolongation-Exaggerating the first sound of the first word of a sentence
2. Cancellation-Pausing two or three seconds after stuttering, and then trying the word again for a better pronunciation
3. Pullout-Pulling off a blocked word and sliding forward