Marital bliss-Does it make a difference in stuttering recovery?

Tonight I spent the evening with my parents and brother and sister n law. My father stuttered severely as a child and up until age 40 or so. I was talking to my father as my mother was involved in an intense conversation with my sister n law. I was talking to my father about a stuttering issue as I can only talk to another person who stutters. He all of a sudden inquired of my mother if his stuttering bothered her when they were dating ( he was 16, she was 14). She hesitated for a moment and said she didn't really remember. She then stated that it might of but she probably liked the fact that he let her talk. My mom is a talker. My dad become a talker in the last 15 years or so. She stated she was so happy for him that he could say what he wanted now. I was thinking that my dad never received fluency therapy. He never talked about stuttering when he was young nor did his family. His parents were immigrants. He is a pharmacist and stuttering did not impact his career or family decisions. Why not? What makes him different than others? I welcome others feedback as to why some are so affected by stuttering and others not. BTW-My parents are married over 49 years.

Fluency Coaches

Atttention all school aged children 9 and older and teens who stutter. We are now starting fluency coaches. This is where a child or teen who has been in speech therapy with me for 4 months or more becomes a mentor to another child starting out. It will help with fluency practice, confidence in speaking in general and support. We will be assigning our first coaches this week. Look forward to having more teens and children who stutter join this program. Please post a comment if you have any thoughts or questions on stuttering in general.

Intensive fluency Programs-Do they work?

ok-it's Sunday and I have time to write-so hear goes.

Let me give you some important background on me. I BELIEVE in intensive fluency for teens and adults, even though I fell on my face the first few times I did it and paid thousands of dollars. I don't recommend it for all the clients I see. I customize for each one. Having said this-why do I believe so strongly in it?

I believe especially for moderate to severe people who stutter, it is important to feel fluency fast and with support. The reason why I failed is because the first few programs I took didn't deal with emotions, fears and shame I had being a person who stutters. So for example, I came home almost 99% fluent, but had never raised my hand in school ( I was in college then). So I tried to talk in class. After all, I had the tools. So I raised my hand, and my fear shot to my larynx. I blocked. Ok, so in my mind, I failed. After all I had just taken this three week course and was told I should be fluent. Unfortunately, the negative experiences started to build again. I had one friend who stuttered who took the course with me. She is a SLP too. We both started having the same experiences and both crashed. How could this be. We are both bright, driven and ambitious people. Did we miss something? We reviewed all the mechanics and still were going downhill. To make a long story short, it took us about 15 years of going back and doing refreshers with various SLPs until we found a few who realized the power of uncovering layers of fear, guilt and shame. As a result, I think I know how to teach effective fluency skills with great results. What does that mean? It means that fluency strategies can only be taught with committment, hard work, sacrifices and support. One must practice often and daily, read what I have read myself and recommend on overcoming fear and increasing self esteem, talk to other people who stutter almost daily and never ever give up. I will provide you with support. I can promise you that! I can also tell you, your stuttering will decrease. How much? That will depend on how much you follow the program and how much you are willing to sacrifice to achieve fluency. I just figured out how to use YOU Tube-so watch for my clip. It can be done. I did it!! I did it the hard way, I hope I can help you do it with less frustration and increased satisfaction. tks again for taking the time to read thi

Lost in Silence

Recently I was asked how I got over avoiding the phone and other fears that I had. It is so hard to answer that because it was a combination of things. People have asked if I provide therapy that deals with this management of fears. Yes, of course I do. I have lived this life. I was so lost in silence for years and felt like I was failing myself. I stopped complaining about practicing and just did it. I made myself answer the phone, speak in meetings and talk to doctors. I stopped filling my gas tank up and starting saying "fill it up" (as long it wasn't more money for full serve). In other words, I mattered and I didn't want to be lost in silence anymore. Was it easy? NO!! Did it happen overnight? NO!!! It was pure torture and many times I wanted to run away. However, I am here to tell you it got easier and it will for you too. It's important to know others who stutter. I have known my friend Lisa for almost 30 years. She stutters also and she has been my rock!! She has always inspired me and we have always been able to call each other if we have a bad day or to practice.

I would love to hear from all of you regarding your fears and stuttering.

Also, I have availability for two teens to work on fluency management together. I find this is cost effective and helps with practice. As most of you know, I am trying hard to reach out to the younger population. Please e-mail if interested.