On Saturday, May 29, the Canadian Stuttering Association invited two Speech-Language Pathologists (SLP) and two persons who stutter to share experiences, thoughts, perceptions, and perspectives regarding speech therapy as part of an interactive Let’s Talk panel.
This event was held in recognition of May as Better Speech and Hearing Month and provided a great opportunity for the CSA to celebrate the many Speech-Language Pathologists who provide services, support, and care to Canadians of all ages who stutter.
Attendees included persons who stutter, parents of children who stutter, Speech-Language Pathologists and Speech-Language Pathology students from across the country.
The event featured...
Holly Lomheim, who is an SLP and Clinic Director at the Institute for Stuttering Treatment and Research. Holly’s experience, knowledge, and comfort in working with persons who stutter of all ages shone through her words and informed insights.
Richard Holmes, who is an SLP, and stutters. Richard brought a unique point of view to the discussion, supporting the experiences of others on the panel and sharing his personal ways of coping with stuttering and approaches he takes to helping others achieve greater ease of communication.
Dylan Leaney, who stutters. Dylan shared valuable insights about his stuttering experience and his involvement with different speech therapists throughout grade school and beyond. Quoting the many ways in which speech therapy led him to speak with greater confidence, Dylan’s positive attitude towards stuttering and how it has shaped his life came through loud and clear.
Rhea Bhalla, who stutters. Rhea displayed remarkable poise as she shared her experiences and perceptions about speech therapy from childhood to adolescence. Rhea shared her “aha” moment in the fluency versus stuttering acceptance debate. Her conclusion? It is okay to “not be fluent “100% of the time!
Panel Topics
The panel delved into topics such as reasons for seeking help, expected outcome of therapy, the therapeutic relationship, building trust, acceptance and disclosure, and the role of peer support in achieving positive therapy outcomes. It was a lively, stimulating, and informative discussion.
Thank you to the panelists for sharing their experiences and points of view so openly and honestly with everyone who attended the event, and for answering audience questions. They made the event a success!
We would like to congratulate the winner of the $100 gift card, Linda Hurkot! Thank you to Linda, and to all who donated, for supporting the CSA’s work.
Did you miss out on this event? No worries, you can still access the recordings from the event by registering HERE!
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