Stuttering Therapy
for teens and adults
Are you frustrated by your stuttering? Does your stuttering hold you back or keep you from being The Best You that you can be? Do you feel shame, embarrassment, or fear when you stutter or think that you might stutter? Have you had speech therapy in the past but found it hard to use strategies?
When working with teens and adults who stutter, the client is in the driver's seat. Each client's unique goals, life experiences, and communication needs guide our work together. My goal is to impart as much of my knowledge as I can to guide you in being a successful communicator while breaking down any barriers that are holding you back in life. Together we will identify strategies that work for you while using real-life communication situations to build on your strengths and increase your confidence in communicating. This may include community-based interactive therapy for stuttering or supportive group environments where we can also address the negative thoughts and feelings associated with stuttering.
Avoidance Reduction Therapy
WHAT IS IT?
Avoidance Reduction Therapy for Stuttering (ARTS) has been pioneered by Vivian Sisskin, CCC-SLP, and is a powerful and comprehensive approach to working through the challenges that we face because of stuttering. It can be implemented in private, one-on-one sessions or in a group setting, which can often be more effective. One of the principles of ART is based on the idea that it’s all the ways that we avoid stuttering that perpetuates our stuttering and limits how we engage in our daily life. In this way, it’s all the things we do trying not to stutter that holds us back and perpetuates the struggle that so many people who stutter face.
WHO IS IT FOR?
My ARTS-based groups are for anyone who is tired of struggling with their stuttering. They are for anyone who wants to change their experience of and relationship to stuttering. In a group setting it’s also for building a community of amazing individuals who understand your struggle. I take the approach that you are not broken, and you don’t need to be fixed. The goal is forward-moving, spontaneous speech. The goal is to reduce the struggle and to engage in life more completely. These groups are for you if you are ready to live your life more completely.
WHEN WILL THE GROUPS MEET?
Groups meet weekly on an ongoing basis. There are no long-term commitments. Come when you want, as frequently as you want.
HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL EACH GROUP HAVE?
Groups will have no more than 4 to 6 participants. I like to keep it cozy and comfortable.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
My goal is to offer a more affordable option for stuttering therapy than individual sessions. Please contact me for more information about the cost to participate.
Group Sessions
WHAT IS IT?
Two things are at the core of the mission of the West Coast Stuttering Center: 1) to support anyone who stutters who wants to make a change and 2) to offer a lower-cost alternative to traditional one-on-one speech therapy. Group sessions are a great way to address both of these. In my group sessions, I incorporate many wonderful principles from Avoidance Reduction Therapy. You will become self-empowered to make the changes you want and ultimately become your own speech therapist. You will learn helpful tools to address the negative thoughts and feelings you have about yourself and your stutter as well as tools for easier speech. Groups are generally between 4 to 6 members and meet for 75–90 minutes depending on the group size.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS TO GROUP SESSIONS FOR STUTTERING THERAPY?
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Good outcomes
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Reduces feelings of isolation
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Promotes open discussion of stuttering
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Builds community
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Safe space to stutter without judgment
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Increases independent problem-solving skills
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Reduced cost
Resources for Teens
Here is an excellent video in both English and Spanish from the Stuttering Foundation for kids who stutter.
Stuttering: For Kids, By Kids ~ English
Tartamudez: Para niños, Por niños ~ Español