Meet Bailey V. Levis, M.S., CCC-SLP

"I don't feel like I have to hide away in a dark, shameful closet anymore. There is so much less self-judgment and I find that I stutter less as a result. Thank you, Bailey!" -Francisco

Years ago, the struggle of being a covert stutterer consumed my life. I know what it’s like to wake up with immense fear and worry about all of the unknown interactions that might happen that day. I worried about who I would stutter with and what they would think of me. I was afraid they would think I was stupid. I felt weak.

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It got so bad that I dropped out of college and lost touch with the friends I had made. I felt alone. I felt like no one understood me.  I know how painful it can be.

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I also know what it’s like to be on the other side of this pain. I wake up every morning knowing that I have the strength and confidence to say what I want when I want, regardless of my stutter, and I go to bed at night thinking about the people who stutter / stutterers that I helped. It brings me great joy.

​The best part is that I regained the confidence that my stuttering bully robbed me of, and I found my life’s purpose.

​​I want this kind of life for everyone who stutters! Just because you stutter, doesn’t mean you have to let it stop you from doing what you want in your life.  My life’s desire is to help other stutterers / people who stutter make this shift too. It’s important to me that people who stutter live enriching and fulfilling lives.

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I know how painful it can be when you have a stutter.  And, I have dedicated my life to helping thousands of people stand up to their stutter so they can live the lives they desire.

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I would love to offer you a free Stand up to Your Stutter consultation session so that I can help you start moving toward your full potential and a life that's free of the pain of stuttering. Life is too short to spend it answering to your stuttering bully.

"I had always had this negative view of speech therapists until I met Bailey Levis"
Maya Chupkov, Host of Proud Stutter podcast from this article in the SF Examiner

My Approach to Stuttering Therapy

I believe in an integrated approach to working with clients who stutter. I recognize that therapy is not a one-size-fits-all approach and use a relational and naturalistic approach when providing speech and stuttering therapy. This means that I highly value the relationship that I develop with each client.  I aim to  help you live the life you want by helping you to identify the things that are getting in the way. Not just the stutter, but the other stuff too.   I will help identify events from the past that contribute to your current struggle with communicating effectively and living happily. I will help you to reduce the emotional impact of those events so that you can approach every speaking situation with comfort and confidence rather than fear and self-limiting beliefs.

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I believe in supporting clients and their families in every aspect of stuttering, including fears, anxieties, negative thoughts, and emotions as well as teaching strategies to help stutter with more ease. Whatever stops you from being able to communicate with confidence, I am here to support you in overcoming those hurdles. Some challenges can be intimidating, but together, we can vanquish fears and achieve great heights.

Evidence-Based Approaches Applied to Stuttering Therapy

• Avoidance Reduction Therapy for Stuttering (ARTS) – A fantastic approach to stuttering therapy that helps you do more of what you want to do and reduce the struggle and tension that is often associated with stuttering.  Ultimately my goal is for you to communicate without fear of stuttering in any and all situations you desire.

• Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT Tapping) – A therapeutic approach aimed at reducing the fears and anxieties of stuttering and communicating.  EFT Tapping incorporates components of counseling with acupressure to help the brain change it's stress response to feared situations.  Click here to learn more about it how I incorporate EFT in my stuttering therapy.

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) - A therapeutic approach that has been shown to be effective with a range of problems, including reducing anxiety. In stuttering therapy CBT can be used to change your unhelpful thinking patterns about yourself and your stutter and unhelpful behaviors that keep you from achieving your goals in life.

• Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) - SFBT places focus on a person's present and future circumstances and goals rather than past experiences. In this goal-oriented therapy, the symptoms or issues bringing a person to therapy are typically not targeted.

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). - ACT is an action-oriented approach that stems from traditional behavior therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy. You will learn to stop avoiding, denying, and struggling with your inner emotions and, instead, accept that these deeper feelings are appropriate responses to certain situations that should not prevent you from moving forward in your life.