Before we talk about therapy, it is important to spend time with you and your parents (if appropriate) finding out more about your stammer and the impact it may be having on you and your life. We do this in the specialist assessment, which takes two sessions – one with you and one with your parents. We may do this at the same time or on separate appointments. Once we have all the information we discuss with you the various options and help you decide what seems to be the best way forward.
Young People - what help is available?
Our help always begins with assessment to help us decide with you the best way forward
As a young person who stammers you can get help.
To find out what type of therapy could be best for you, the first thing we need to do is arrange your assessment. We make some suggestions when we have got to know you and then you can decide what you feel is right for you.
![MPC - Young People - Young People - what treatment is available? - [ Process Map to go here ]](/images/user/MPC Young People Assessment Flow Chart-800x206.jpg "MPC - Young People - Young People - what treatment is available? - [ Process Map to go here ]")
Therapy
Therapy for young people at the Michael Palin Centre maybe individual on a weekly basis, or in groups who attend daily for two weeks in July. The aim of all therapy is to reduce the short and long-term impact of stammering on daily functioning and wellbeing. This is achieved by focusing on the development of communication skills, direct speech management and the cognitive and emotional aspects of the disorder. Therapy is undertaken collaboratively, with an emphasis on helping clients to identify personal goals, increase their understanding of and responses to stammering, and develop effective self-help strategies in order to maximise long term effectiveness of therapy.
You will learn techniques that may help you to stammer less but you will also learn how to be a confident communicator and how to deal with the psychological side of stammering, such as worry or fear about stammering and people knowing that you have a stammer.
For a description of this therapy package click here
The one year group intensive programme is for young people aged 15 to 18 years who stammer. The programme starts with a two-week intensive course, when the young people attend in a group for 5 to 6 hours every day for two weeks. Activities focus on fluency techniques, confidence building, developing social communication skills and ways to manage the emotional aspects of stammering more successfully. Following the two-week course, regular group follow-up days are arranged throughout the year and additional individual therapy sessions are arranged as necessary.
Last updated19 Jun 2019