Anna and I went on intandem’s supervision course (Module 1) in June 2017. We both really enjoyed the course. The content was very relevant to us and we were all encouraged to participate throughout the day. The course was run for multidisciplinary therapists and this allowed for a great variety of experience and different views … Read more
Lorraine: “I’ve loved attending the Open Space sessions. Mostly I’ve really enjoyed meeting people from different walks of life and being able to openly discuss some of the issues I face as a person who stammers. I was anxious about attending at first and think I found it difficult to identify myself as someone who stammers … Read more
Throughout our MSc in Speech and Language Sciences at UCL we have been trained to use active listening. It’s a key clinical skill. As trainee SLTs we listen when we collaborate with clients to take case histories. But these are often about a snapshot in time. What happens when clients complete assessment and intervention? How … Read more
I first started working as a speech and language therapy lead for safeguarding about 15 years ago. My arm was twisted into it by my then manager. We needed a named lead and I was the one who kept coming to her with the most cases ………so she said “It seems really relevant to you … Read more
Talking Mats (TMs) I hear you say, is that a mat that talks?! And so begins my story of Talking Mats. Talking Mats is an evidence-based pictorial tool developed by Dr Joan Murphy in 1989. Since its creation, it is used in the UK and worldwide. What does Talking Mats do? It gives individuals with … Read more
If someone had said to me few years ago that I would one day write a blog about something I am extremely conscious of, I would have laughed out loud! But here I am and this means a big step for me. As long as I can remember, I have always stammered. I remember when … Read more
I must admit I arrived with a little apprehension, this was the first time I had attended a public event related to stammering. I was aware that I was wearing two hats, as a person who stammers and a psychologist who has a special interest in working with PWS. The opening remarks by Mark Malcomson … Read more
Most of us will likely agree that the brain of a person who stammers works somewhat differently to the brain of someone who is fluent. What is not so clear, is how it is different. Earlier this year Dr Soo-Eun Chang at the University of Michigan spoke to Peter Reitzes from StutterTalk about her research … Read more
Disclosing one’s stammer is easy they say… vital I say. In fact it is very much a technique I subscribe to, use frequently and encourage others to try. Imagine going into a stressful situation, an interview for example; walk through the door, friendly handshake, introductions gone well, half way through the first question, BLOCK. No … Read more
I have been fortunate in my career to have some really excellent supervision, but all too often I hear from colleagues that the service they work in does not offer quality supervision. I regularly hear that for many it becomes a tick box managerial function, concentrating more on the doing of therapy rather than the … Read more