Stammering/ Stuttering (clinically known as developmental fluency disorder)

Stammering is a highly complex and deeply individual condition. Despite decades of research and speech therapy, it continues to be misunderstood, even by health professionals.

For a long time, stammering was seen purely as a speech difficulty. More recently, it has been recognised as a neurodevelopmental condition, alongside Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

But for many people, stammering is not just about speech. It affects how you think, how you feel, and how you experience yourself in the world.

You might notice:

• your speech changes depending on context with you finding certain situations very challenging to manage and certain words almost impossible to say. This may also vary depending on how you feel on the day.

• you might have developed a patterns of “easy” and “difficult” words/phrases.

• even in theory “low-pressure” speaking situations might bring fear and anxiety or a sense of “shifting state”.

• at the same time you might be fluent or almost fluent when alone, talking to children, or animals.

This unpredictability can feel confusing and exhausting and over time, understandably, can negatively affect your confidence, sense of identity, and quality of life.

Psychologically-Based Rather Than Speech-Based Support

There is so much more to stammering than the mechanics of speech*.

The fact that its severity can vary within the same person, depending on the situation and who they are talking to and the person’s internal state, suggest that it often has a strong psychological component. From my experience, this is an extremely important but often overlooked area of intervention. It is very common for people who stammer to begin fearing speaking, and, for speaking itself to start to feel distressing and even be experienced as traumatic over time.

What I offer is individually tailored psychological support. Rather than trying to “fix” your speech (i.e., speech blocks and dysfluencies are often just what we see on the surface), we will instead work together to understand what may be happening underneath. We will, therefore focus on exploring your responses, patterns and the experiences that shape your relationship with speaking.

How We Will Work Together

Stammering is complex and deeply individual. Its presentation and severity vary widely from person to person, and what might work for one might not be helpful to another. For this reason I do not offer fixed programmes or generic techniques. Instead, I work collaboratively with you, tailoring the therapeutic approach to you and your needs.

In therapy we may explore:

• what maintains the difficulty for you

• how anxiety, fear, or past experiences may play a role

• the patterns that keep the cycle going

• how to develop a different relationship with speaking

My approach goes beyond focusing only on speech itself. Instead, we will work together to build confidence in your way of communicating by developing a deeper understanding of yourself, easing internal tensions such as anxiety, fear and shame, learning ways to manage distress and building on your strengths. The rationale is for this work to produce meaningful holistic changes in you, giving you a greater sense of how you feel and are with others, but also of how you communicate. ‍ ‍

*That said, the psychological work with me can sit alongside and compliment speech therapy if you are finding this helpful.

What I Bring

I offer a perspective shaped by three deeply connected areas of experience:

1. Clinical psychology training
As a Clinical Psychologist, I am a highly trained mental health professional. I integrate evidence-based therapeutic approaches to help you make sense of how stammering presents in you life and and to support meaningful and lasting change within a safe, non-judgemental space.

2. Lived experience
I personally understand how complex and emotionally charged stammering can be and how confusing it can feel to live with day to day. This is what led me to explore it more deeply.

3. Research expertise
I have academic research expertise in stammering, having worked directly with adults and children who stammer and have several published papers in this area. This allows me to bring a deep, up-to-date understanding of the current theories and approaches, while also recognising their limitations.

Get In Touch

You are very welcome to get in touch to get a sense of how I work and whether we might be a good fit.