Elena Caffentzis is a Speech-Language Pathologist who specializes in the treatment of stuttering disorders. Since 1997, Elena has worked with children, teens and adults to treat speech disorders ranging from fluency and articulation to language delays and brain injury. Her personal philosophy supports a holistic approach to treatment: working with families, friends and teachers of her clients to provide continuous support beyond the therapy room.
Elena has extensive experience as the former Children’s Coordinator of the American Institute for Stuttering in Manhattan as well as time spent at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
Elena graduated with distinction from Boston University with a Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology. She also received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Pre-Medicine from The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. She is licensed in New York and holds the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP) as awarded by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). She is a member of ASHA’s Fluency Disorder Special Interest Division and is a Board Recognized Specialist in Fluency Disorders. She actively supports The Stuttering Foundation of America, The National Stuttering Association, Friends, and the International Fluency Association.
Elena is a former adjunct professor of Speech-Language Pathology at Touro College in Brooklyn, NY. She is a sought-after presenter on the topic of Stuttering Disorders and has presented at numerous conferences and schools.
Philosophy
Elena believes in working with the entire person, not with the speech issue alone. We are entire beings and deserve the respect to be treated as a whole.
Elena believes in entering into an agreement with each client, young and old, based on mutual trust and respect and her work is delivered without judgment. She believes in creating an individualized plan for each client, rather than adhering to a specific “approach” or “program”, so that each client feels educated and comfortable about the rationale behind their plan.
Elena’s work transcends the therapy room and involves taking her clients out into the “real world”, speaking with family members, teachers, employers and others involved in her client’s lives. Her work cannot happen in isolation. She is here to train parents of young children so they become equipped to carry over the therapy to the home environment.
Adults are given emotional, attitudinal and physical strategies to manage all aspects of their speech.
Elena’s goal is for each person that she works with to leave her care with a sense of self-trust, empowerment, and achievement of the goals that she and her client had set forth together throughout their speech journey.