Navigating Adult Stammering

Trudy Stewart is a retired consultant speech and language therapist. She studied in universities in Glasgow, Michigan State (USA) and Leeds. She worked in the UK with children and adults who stammer for nearly 40 years. Her last role was clinical lead of the Stammering Support Centre in Leeds. Trudy has taught undergraduate, graduate and specialist courses for clinicians in the UK, Europe and Sri Lanka, including on the European Clinical Specialisation in Fluency Disorders (ECSF) course. She has carried out research while a clinician, presented her work at international conferences and written several texts on stammering. She recently co-wrote and directed a play about stammering called ‘Unspoken.’

Introduction Section A: The Person who Stammers Section B: The therapist Section C: The therapeutic relationship Section D: Beginning sessions Section E: Therapy: General points Section F: Therapy: Fluency modification or speak more fluently approach Section G: Therapy: Stammering modification or stammer more easily approach Section H: Therapy: Stammer more proudly Section I: Psychology approaches Section J: Maintaining positive outcomes and planning for the re-emergence of roles and behaviours Section K: Support Networks Final Thoughts Appendix 1: Formal assessments currently in use Appendix 2: Cognitive Restructuring: learning to attach unhelpful thoughts