Presence and Stammering

People who stammer have many expectations from therapy.  Most people want to achieve greater fluency and feel confident communicating in all situations.  In my experience, the best outcomes have been achieved when people develop a greater 'presence' when communicating and acceptance of the stammer.  Many of us are frequently caught in the 'mind reading' trap of thinking that others may think less of us due to our vulnerabilities or perceived flaws.  Therapy for stammering needs to 'toughen up' the person to be less bothered by the stammer, worry less about what others may think of them and get on with communicating ideas, feelings and thoughts in an authentic, comfortable way.  The individual also needs to develop greater kindness and compassion towards themselves.  Therapy to achieve all this includes psychological approaches integrated into speech therapy approaches, such as Mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Narrative Therapy and CBT.   The Voice and Communication Clinic uses these approaches effectively in the treatment for our clients. Contact us to find out more...