Stammer Therapy for Adults
We provide stammering therapy for adults of all ages (from 15 years old). Our aim in therapy is to increase your communication confidence and self-esteem so that you are able to achieve your life goals.
Stammering vs stuttering - what's the difference?
You may have heard both of these words used. Speech therapists often use these words interchangeably and they actually mean exactly the same thing. Generally stammering is a term mainly used in the UK and stuttering is generally used in the USA and Australia.
How does stammer therapy help me with my stammer?
A common misconception about stammer therapy is that it can cure a stammer. Stammer therapy can help improve a stammer, but our first goal is for you to feel ok about your speech. In therapy, we work on improving your confidence in yourself and your ability to communicate. We explore where your stammer comes from and why it happens in the way it does. We focus on reducing avoidance behaviours and anxiety about speaking.
All of this becomes a strong foundation on which to improve fluency. More importantly, you gain the self-acceptance and confidence to flourish in life regardless of your stammer.
How does stammer therapy work?
In our first session, we start with your story so far. What has brought you to therapy? What would you like to gain from therapy? We will then share what therapy might entail. We can figure out if we’re a good fit for each other and can work together.
Our therapy sessions are then booked on a weekly basis. Most people like to plan for 6 sessions to begin with.
During therapy we will look at things like psychoeducation around stammering, building communication confidence, problem solving and thoughts and feelings around stammering.
You may come to therapy with a specific goal in mind, such as giving a speech or attending an interview. We can include this goal in our therapy aims.
How do you assess my stammer?
There are many assessment tools that seek to measure stammering. While the therapist will draw on these tools during your first session and subsequent sessions, the primary purpose of the assessment is to find out who you are.
The therapist will find out what is important to you, what your goals in life are, what’s going well for you and what you want to get out of therapy. This conversation will help direct the rest of the therapy.
What about assessments and therapy I’ve had before?
Many people who stammer find they want to come back to therapy every now and then, often at a transition point in their life, such as moving careers or finishing education.
No matter where you’ve had therapy before, what kind of therapy it was or your reason for seeking more therapy, you are welcome to come to us. We’d love to work with you!
