YouSpeak Stuttering Therapy, Philadelphia, PA (2025)

10/23/2024

Ben Franklin Bridge lit here in Philly in honor of International Stuttering Awareness Day! 🌉

07/10/2024

💭 Client Quotes…

Something so monumental in one’s life deserves to be experienced with as much joy and presence as possible.

Working on better understanding what it was that this client feared, thinking about ways to [gently and slowly] confront those worries and fears, inviting others into the process and providing education, celebrating shifts in perspectives, working on greater spontaneity, connecting with others…so much goes into helping to support shifts and changes…

At the end of the day, quotes like these are such great metrics of change 🙌

02/19/2024

Exploring ARTS® theory and better understanding the deeper drives of things like self-preservation, safety, coping choices, shame, fear, and the power of intentionality all have really shaped how I look at stuttering and the experience in a deeper way…

I think understanding the connection between how we think, feel, and what we do—and how that’s all shaped through the lens of our previous lived experiences (both internal and external) is so important to better understanding the stuttering experience and our response to anticipation in a fuller and [kinder] way.

Re-thinking ‘secondaries’ [can we toss that word?]➡️ simply what we do in response to a moment of stuttering to cope or keep ourselves ‘safe’ in anticipation of [or escape from] shame…they’re really our own self-developed ’techniques’ or ’tools’ [coping choices] when the internal messages say, ‘nope, let’s not show stuttering here…’ or ‘…get out!’

Shifting our thinking, can remove some of the stigma or connotation that ‘secondaries’ are ‘bad.’ ➡️ Think about it more as just an obvious response to our mind-body trying to keep ourselves from experiencing something we’ve sorted as ‘undesirable’ based on our lived experiences. Obviously worth acknowledging how societal’s misunderstandings and ignorances related to stuttering make this a very obvious response.

When we try to just ‘stop doing something’ or ‘reduce a secondary’ without understanding the deeper rooted intentionality or our why, we run the risk of adding additional layers of ‘shame’ for something we may tell ourselves we ‘shouldn’t’ do or should be able to just stop doing without addressing the underlying driving intention [simply, to not stutter or minimize the external visibility of stuttering].

Continued in caption…

02/15/2024

💭 Client Quotes…

This felt really fitting given yesterday’s post to reflect a bit on how we talk to ourselves, and specifically, how we talk to our stuttering…

It takes time to change our relationship with our stuttering (and even time to even consider this as a potential future possibility).

What do you think about this idea of getting more ‘acquainted’ with your stuttering?
What would you learn?
How may it shift your relationship over time?
How you view yourself?
What may happen to your reaction to stuttering over time (physically, mentally, and emotionally)?
What you may see as possible?

02/14/2024

💕Valentine’s, but let’s make it about self-love…

How we speak to ourselves really matters…sometimes [🙋‍♀️ I don’t know about you] we can be our own opponents, or at our most critical when talking to ourselves…

- Have we considered how we talk to our stuttering?
- Or more broadly, to ourselves?
- Have you ever tuned into what our internal narrative says?
- What if you spoke to a loved one in that same way?
- What you be pleased with that?
- How does this impact us?
- What would it feel like if we built ourselves up?

🫶What if we spoke to ourselves as if we were on our OWN team vs. an opponent?
💭What if stuttering weren’t the opponent?

Consider the power of self-compassion, unconditional self-acceptance, and self-love today…how can we love ourselves a bit more through how we talk to ourselves?

It’s not always easy!
Comment below with something kind or loving you could say to yourself/ your stuttering? 👇

02/09/2024

There’s something about speaking about stuttering to a larger audience (beyond the stuttering community) that feels even more impactful in ways…

We talk about ways to increase awareness, education, and advocacy and how to change the narrative and lens of understanding of stuttering within a broader sense—and opportunities like these feel like (while small!) they’re a way I can make a difference!

I was honored to recently be a guest on the Supporting Child Givers Podcast to talk about Stuttering to a broader audience with SCC Founder, Dr. Alexandra Harrison, M.D., who founded an organization dedicated to providing support to child caregivers worldwide— with specific focus on underserved and stigmatized communities, differences, and conditions.

Listen anywhere you listen to podcasts or directly on their page: supportingchildcaregivers.org

About Dr. Harrison: Alexandra Murray Harrison, M.D. is a Training and Supervising Analyst at the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute in Adult and Child and Adolescent Psychoanalysis, an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School at the Cambridge Health Alliance, and on the Faculty of the Infant-Parent Mental Health Post Graduate Certificate Program at University of Massachusetts Boston. Dr. Harrison has a private practice in both adult and child psychoanalysis and psychiatry. In the context of visits to orphanages in Central America and India, Dr. Harrison has developed a model for mental health professionals in developed countries to volunteer their consultation services to caregivers of children in care in developing countries in the context of a long term relationship with episodic visits and regular skype and video contact.

12/13/2023

💭 Client Quotes…

When they said 37 I even went 😳, but what growth to reflect on…

This client has worked through their relationship with the fear of stuttering on the phone, which really meant the fear of the reaction of the other person. Along the way, they realized how disproportionately their anticipatory reactions didn’t match reality. Over time, and over more and more mini experiments, the anticipation began reducing because the fear of stuttering began reducing because the ‘worst case’ was rarely actualized…

Huge wins here as we do a little reflection on the year and personal successes and wins 🙌

11/30/2023

Does your inner self match your outer self?

This has been a powerful common thread in stuttering therapy sessions recently. Clients tuning in and thinking more deeply about who they are inside through teasing apart what stuttering has impacted (or what the fear of stuttering has impacted).

Thinking more about what they could do more of that would reflect their values, reflect who they are inside, reflect what they want the world to see, and what they want to be remembered as.

Give it a go for yourself or with your clients— this can be a really cool exercise individually and within groups of a range of ages.

11/28/2023

💭 Client quotes….

I resonate so much with this personally and also from a clinician’s perspective too.

You dance this fine line as a clinician— wanting to will a client to a place of readiness sooner than they’re ready…wanting to say, ‘stop thinking that way, think this way...,’ but we all know that’s not how it works or how sustainable, trusted change happens. Would you want someone to tell you how you’re thinking about something that is challenging and personal is wrong?

Being patient in the process, planting seeds, planning actionable experience opportunities to challenge preconceived notions, cultivating mentorship opportunities, dissecting situations together, teasing apart the root, brainstorming values…all contribute and factor in. While simultaneously valuing where they *are* at the present. Not easy, that’s for sure. What a cool experience to be a part of though, and one I really am honored to be a part of.

To get to a place of reflection of ‘then’ vs. ‘now’ and talk about what made a difference? What helped you change course? What seeds led you there? What are you noticing about yourself that’s different? How are you feeling that’s different? How are your thoughts different? What are others noticing about you? What would you tell others at the beginning stages of their journeys? What do you want to tell that younger self? Would anything have made you ready sooner?

11/27/2023

What’s the underlying philosophy behind stuttering therapy @ YouSpeak?

Why is this important?

🔎 Well, the lens in which we view stuttering shapes the entire process and journey.

When choosing a clinician, be sure to ask about their underlying rationales and philosophy and make sure it resonates with what you are looking for— and most importantly, goes beyond the surface.

🔗 youspeakstuttering.com
👆For more info!

11/21/2023

Major ASHA highlight and also biggest outside-my-comfort-zone risk was presenting with my good friend Chris Constantino about stuttering therapy from a practical perspective. Chris and I went back and forth sharing more about our process, underlying philosophy, and insights.

While the voice inside my head narrates all the ‘shoulds’ and ‘coulds,’ I’m proud of myself for getting up there and hope to do it again soon! Chris, you rock, thanks for nudging me here...and for the dinosaurs [iykyk] 😂🦖

Biggest highlight was spending time with my stuttering fam, I love you all and miss you already.

Caryn, Ben, Tim, Kendra, Adannaya, Rick, and Ava’s parents rocked an amazing parent panel where they talked about the importance of incorporating parents into the therapy process and also understanding their unique journeys and path towards greater stuttering understanding and acceptance.

11/09/2023

See you !

Really looking forward to presenting with my friend Chris . If you’ll be there, come say hello! 👋

Description: SLPs often feel ill-equipped and uncomfortable with stuttering. This presentation aims to increase SLP comfort and knowledge by offering varied perspectives about therapy philosophies, outcome measurement, and support in navigating common difficulties in stuttering therapy. We will speak candidly about our own therapy approaches, incorporating clinical examples and nuance in a way that will support even the more advanced clinicians. This conversation will stay grounded in the literature on stuttering treatment. We will discuss the components of therapy that have received empirical support, such as voluntary stuttering, disclosure, advocacy, moving towards the moment of stuttering rather than away, and supporting journeys of acceptance while embracing desires for change. This talk will be an
intimate but advanced discussion of stuttering therapy.

11/06/2023

Client Quotes 💭

Talk about an immeasurable outcome in the therapeutic process. Peeling away what stuttering has dictated little by little and discovering who you are is beyond huge 🙌.

11/01/2023

💭 I asked teens I work with to share what they’d want another teen to know who may just be starting their therapy journey and here’s what they shared ➡️

Teens, feel free to comment below with anything you would add 👇

10/25/2023

I’m often asked about resources or learning opportunities I’d recommend to SLPs wanting to learn more about stuttering— so, here are some of what I’m recommending and watching/ listening/ learning from myself!

***there are SO many I probably forgot and/or didn’t have room…please comment below with what you’d recommend or add to the list!

I’ll also add things to the comments as I think of them!

Hope this is helpful!

10/05/2023

Client Quotes 🙌

09/29/2023

Exploring the ‘unraveling’ process in stuttering…

Swipe through to unravel 🧶…

09/25/2023

💭 Client quotes…

The messages we are sent matter and unpeeling and unpacking these take time.

Recognizing our automatic thoughts, deep core beliefs, and our internal ‘sorting hat’ of good vs. bad— and then flipping that all around is such a powerful part of the change process.

Separately, as SLPs, let’s remember how powerful messaging and intentionality are and where it can all start [in the therapy room] and check in with our overt and subtly messaging we are sending to our clients who stutter and their families—especially at a young age.

YouSpeak Stuttering Therapy

10/23/2024

07/10/2024

02/19/2024

02/15/2024

02/14/2024

02/09/2024

12/13/2023

11/30/2023

11/28/2023

11/27/2023

11/21/2023

11/09/2023

11/06/2023

11/01/2023

10/25/2023

10/05/2023

09/29/2023

09/25/2023

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