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Our Speech Therapists:

 

Thoughts from a Speech Therapist

I attended my first McGuire course in July 2005. I heard about it from a colleague who had read an article about it in the newspaper. I had been treating a few clients with stuttering problems and although the therapy had made some improvements on their speech, it was shortlived and not as successful as I’d hoped.

Before I attended the course, I felt really sceptical. What could some newcomers teach speech therapists who were using therapies based on age-old research? But I was feeling demotivated and needed a new angle with which to approach dysfluency therapy. I thought I would never know unless I tried.

WOW! That first course was incredible. I had never witnessed such rapid results with regard to dysfluency. Not even our lecturers at university had ever spoken of such results. People with severe stutters were able to say their names, addresses, and telephone numbers with controlled fluency at the end of the first day. By the end of the course, they were able to stand up in front of many many people and speak confidently, still using controlled fluency.

I completely support the McGuire Programme. It focuses on the person as a whole; physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. This is great because it often evokes much individual introspection. Some people have changed careers, because they feel more confident to communicate. Others have embarked on amazing adventures that they were too scared to even think about in the past. Most graduates on the programme have really evolved into the person that they always wanted to be. They have felt equipped to develop their personalities.

I’ve been so privileged to witness these caterpillars becoming beautiful butterflies. I have learnt more about the personal struggles and thought processes of people who stutter than I ever would have imagined. University and text books taught me a lot, but nothing tops the amount of knowledge I have acquired on these courses.

Thank you to all the McGuire Grads who have accepted me as part of the programme. Thank you for your amazing friendships. It means the world to me!

NOTE: The McGuire Programme is based on some speech therapy principles. Most of the terminologies used have been changed to suit the programme. A few things differ from basic speech therapy, i.e. costal breathing and some opposing techniques. Furthermore, as mentioned previously, the programme has more of a holistic approach than speech therapy. This is a tried and tested programme and has proven to be most successful.

As with everything in life, it is not to say that the programme is the answer for you. Speech therapy still has its place in society. The McGuire Programme would not have been developed if it was not for speech therapy in the first place. But I believe that all stutterers should try the programme before they make a decision as to what works for them or not.

Julia Jenson

Click here to view News 24 Article done by Julia