Do you have a secret stammer?
You are a talented person, with a lot to offer. But you have a secret.
You have a stammer.
You want to be able to say and do what you want but the fear of stammering holds you back. This may apply to very specific scenarios, such as meetings where you dread having to introduce yourself. Or it may affect various areas of your life, from everyday situations like not choosing the item you want from a menu, to issues like not progressing further in your career, despite having all the necessary skills and experience.
Most people are completely unaware of your stammer and how strongly it affects you because you are so successful at keeping this hidden. Over the years you’ve worked really hard to find ways to avoid stammering. This avoidance takes a lot of effort and can feel like it’s imprisoning you.
But there is a way to move forward.
It’s possible to reduce your fear of stammering and start transforming your life, with the help of specialist speech therapy.
Trying to cope
If you’ve been struggling on your own to keep your stammer hidden, this could be the first time you’ve considered getting support.
Or maybe you’ve sought some help before but everything seemed to be geared towards people with a more visible kind of stammer.
Whatever you’ve tried, it’s likely you’ve felt disappointed. And despite your best efforts, you still feel held back by your stammer.
Drawbacks of “going it alone” or a “one size fits all” approach
Trying to manage without support can be incredibly hard, especially when you have a new challenge to face, such as a change at work, which suddenly requires you to move out of your comfort zone. Strategies that seemed to work for you before can start to fail and you’re left feeling unsure of what to do next.
A problem with many treatments for stammering is the underlying “one size fits all” approach, when the reality is that no single treatment works for everyone. You and your stammer are unique. So therapy needs to reflect this, in order to find the best way forward.
Specialist speech therapy tailored to your individual needs
Instead of struggling to cope alone or feeling constricted by a “one size fits all” treatment, imagine having speech therapy that’s tailor-made to suit you. A specialist speech therapist can work in partnership with you to support you to find ways to manage your stammer that are more effective and sustainable.
Working together
I’m Sarah Leach, the founder of Communication Liberation. I am a fully qualified, registered and experienced speech therapist based in London. I specialise in working with adults who stammer. This work is particularly important to me because stammering has run in my family for at least four generations.
The first step
Book a free 30 minute initial consultation by filling out the contact form below. You will then have the opportunity to discuss how you’d like to move forward, ask any questions you may have, and decide if a speech therapy programme would be the best support for you.
Moving forward
If you choose to go ahead with speech therapy, your personalised “Moving Forward” speech therapy programme will be tailor-made to support you to start:
- identifying both the hidden and visible aspects of your stammer
- exploring how you feel about stammering and fluency
- learning about stammering management strategies that can help you to speak with more ease
- becoming more confident about your communication
- experiencing more freedom to say and do what you want.
Your “Moving Forward” speech therapy programme will consist of:
- 6 one-to-one 1 hour speech therapy sessions tailored to your particular needs, usually taken weekly over a period of 2 months
- home practice recommendations (including online worksheets, handouts, exercises etc) to maximise the benefits of the one-to-one sessions and help you to take what you learn out into your everyday life
- email support in between sessions to answer any queries you may have about the home practice
- information about contacts and resources to link you up with other organisations or people providing further support.
After you have completed your “Moving Forward” speech therapy programme, depending on your individual needs, you have the option to advance to “Continuing Forward” speech therapy programmes, in order to consolidate and build on your progress.
More about programmes
Meeting place
The Plane Tree (www.theplanetree.co.uk) is centrally located in Bethnal Green, London E2, and is easily accessible from The City of London, Central London and East London. It’s only a 3 minute walk from Bethnal Green tube (just 1 stop from Liverpool Street on the London underground central line and just around the corner from the British Stammering Association). If you live outside of London, meeting via Skype may be possible.
Meeting times
One-to-one speech therapy sessions are available Tuesday, Thursday and Friday evenings until 9pm, as well as during the daytime Tuesday to Friday.
Pricing
The initial 30 minute consultation is free, so we can decide together if a speech therapy programme would be the best support for you.
If you choose to invest in a “Moving Forward” speech therapy programme, the cost is £495. There is the option to pay in instalments if you wish to spread the cost over the 2 month period. “Continuing Forward” programmes cost £465.
What if…?
By embarking on a speech therapy programme, you’re making a significant investment in yourself. I am dedicated to this being beneficial to you. So, if at any point you decide you do not want to continue with therapy, then you can receive a refund for the remainder of the programme.
Free initial consultation
To request an initial consultation, please:
- fill in the contact form below
- email sarah@communicationliberation.co.uk
I look forward to hearing from you.
