Other Support
Using a breathing and controlled speech technique won’t be for everyone.
There is lots of other help available that you should consider, some of which are listed below.
NHS Speech and Language Therapists
This is often the starting point for lots of people. This support is free, although there may be a waiting list, as it’s part of the NHS. A speech and language therapist is professionally trained to help in all situations where speech and language may benefit from some support.
STAMMA
STAMMA is the new name for the British Stammering Association. This is a great place to start looking for help, support and education for everything stammering-related. STAMMA has been a great source of information and education for many years and it has a brilliant Helpline that’s available Monday to Thursday. STAMMA is a registered charity.
City Lit
This is another charity that provides help and education for stammerers. City Lit works across many fields and holds short courses for stammerers and for speech and language therapists.
Michael Palin Centre for Stammering
If you are a parent of a child, the Michael Palin Centre for Stammering may be helpful. This charity works with children and their parents from the age of 2 to 18 and helps to identify beneficial strategies.
Costal Breathing Courses
The McGuire Programme and The Starfish Project offer short, intensive courses centred around costal breathing, and both organisations provide access to ongoing support. These courses are run by stammerers who have benefited from learning different techniques to control their speech; the trainers are not professional speech and language therapists.
People who stammer often find various interventions helpful, but the benefits can diminish over time. This is often due to the lack of ongoing support and a cliff-edge effect in some types of therapy. However, they also provide extensive ongoing support, ensuring a continuous and beneficial journey for those seeking help.
Empowering Voices also uses costal breathing to control stammering. Our technique focuses on helping individuals who stammer speak in a calm and controlled manner. We offer comprehensive ongoing support after our courses, including follow-up sessions and access to a community of individuals who have successfully managed their stammer. Everyone who teaches the Empowering Voices technique is a stammerer who has taken back control of their speech.
Empowering Voices is a charity. Everything we do benefits people who stammer, and any income is dedicated to helping them.