Can you become a speech-language pathologist if you stutter?

Absolutely! It is entirely possible to become a speech-language pathologist even if you stutter. It can even become an asset. Take, for example, empathy. The personal background of people who stutter or have stuttered can help them understand their client’s experience regarding the impacts of stuttering or any other communication-related issue. They may have received speech-language pathology services and can base themselves on their own experience as a client.  They can also associate what they teach to real-life situations they have faced themselves and share them if they wish, and if this is relevant to the progress of the intervention.

In fact, many speech-language pathologists famous for their contribution to fluency are also people who stutter. Consider, for instance:   

Dr. Charles Van Riper, pioneer of professional speech pathology and world-renowned expert on stuttering, who had developed an interest in the subject because of his own stuttering. In 1939, he published one of the first books in the field of communication science and its disorders: Speech Correction: Principles and Methods (9 editions), followed in the early 1970s by The Nature of Stuttering, and The Treatment of Stuttering. 

Barry Guitar, Ph.D., an expert speech-language pathologist internationally recognized for his research on stuttering and its intervention. He is Professor Emeritus at the University of Vermont and is himself a person who stutters. His areas of expertise and research examine stuttering treatments for preschool children, as well as stuttering temperament and recovery in both children and adults. He has also published Stuttering: An Integrated Approach to Its Nature and Treatment (5 editions), which is widely used in university courses on fluency.

In addition, several of the people who stutter who were interviewed in the When I Stutter documentary are also speech-language pathologists. One example in the film is a speech therapist’s intervention with a young man who stutters. This is Gail Wilson Lew, M.A., recognized by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) as an expert in fluency disorders. She is also a professor at the University of California, where she teaches courses on fluency.

Sources: 

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Archives. Charles Van Riper. https://ashaarchives.omeka.net/exhibits/show/pioneers/vanriper

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Joel Korte: Using Experience as a Person who Stutters to Help Others