Peggy Dalton – författare

In the years prior to publication ‘cures’ for stuttering seemed to appear constantly, but many were of limited value, were poorly evaluated and gave only a temporary alleviation that was not transferred to daily life. More responsible clinicians produced publications expounding one particular approach to therapy but less was available giving a balanced overview which was of practical help to therapists.

Originally published in 1983, this book aimed to provide such an overview, with a focus on practical intervention rather than on theory. The need for careful assessment is particularly stressed and also the need for flexibility in the choice of treatment for any one client. Changes in fluency are looked at in relation to the effects they might have on the person’s life as a whole and factors involved in the maintenance of this change are discussed.

In addition, adjuncts to speech therapy, such as drugs, hypnosis and various forms of masking are evaluated. Issues of the training of therapists are raised and suggestions made as to the nature of the therapeutic relationship when working with people who stutter.

In the years prior to publication ‘cures’ for stuttering seemed to appear constantly, but many were of limited value, were poorly evaluated and gave only a temporary alleviation that was not transferred to daily life. More responsible clinicians produced publications expounding one particular approach to therapy but less was available giving a balanced overview which was of practical help to therapists.

Originally published in 1983, this book aimed to provide such an overview, with a focus on practical intervention rather than on theory. The need for careful assessment is particularly stressed and also the need for flexibility in the choice of treatment for any one client. Changes in fluency are looked at in relation to the effects they might have on the person’s life as a whole and factors involved in the maintenance of this change are discussed.

In addition, adjuncts to speech therapy, such as drugs, hypnosis and various forms of masking are evaluated. Issues of the training of therapists are raised and suggestions made as to the nature of the therapeutic relationship when working with people who stutter.

Praise for the First Edition

`In Britain, few people can have contributed more to the development of a personal construct approach than Fay Fransella and Peggy Dalton.... Their book is primarily written for those who may wish to incorporate Kelly's ideas into their existing counselling framework.... This is an informative book which is concise, well-written and with no shortage of clinical examples, relevant to all who are interested in counselling and psychotherapy' - British Journal of Psychology

The revised and updated edition of this practical, accessible book gives a clear introduction to personal construct counselling for counselling trainees and practitioners alike. Outlining the key principles of the personal construct approach to counselling and relating them to practice, the book carefully explores ways in which counsellors, through credulous listening to everything the client says - and does not say - can build the client's awareness of the manner in which he or she construes problems. The range of methods that can be used to help the counsellor and client learn more about inherent contradictions and their implications, are described and illustrated.

The book goes on to show how the counsellor and client in partnership can then devise experiments for change through which the client can try out new and more rewarding ways of constructing and acting. A number of approaches to facilitating change are discussed and exemplified.

Peggy Dalton also explores the effects of communication problems on the person's sense of self, relationships and perceptions of the world. She stresses the need for a greater understanding of the experiences of people whose lives may be severely limited by their communication problems and shows how important it is to find ways of discovering the personal meaning of experience when it is unable to be expressed in words.

Praise for the First Edition

`In Britain, few people can have contributed more to the development of a personal construct approach than Fay Fransella and Peggy Dalton.... Their book is primarily written for those who may wish to incorporate Kelly′s ideas into their existing counselling framework.... This is an informative book which is concise, well-written and with no shortage of clinical examples, relevant to all who are interested in counselling and psychotherapy′ - British Journal of Psychology

The revised and updated edition of this practical, accessible book gives a clear introduction to personal construct counselling for counselling trainees and practitioners alike. Outlining the key principles of the personal construct approach to counselling and relating them to practice, the book carefully explores ways in which counsellors, through credulous listening to everything the client says - and does not say - can build the client′s awareness of the manner in which he or she construes problems. The range of methods that can be used to help the counsellor and client learn more about inherent contradictions and their implications, are described and illustrated.

The book goes on to show how the counsellor and client in partnership can then devise experiments for change through which the client can try out new and more rewarding ways of constructing and acting. A number of approaches to facilitating change are discussed and exemplified.