My name is Eeva Stierwalt and I am honoured to be elected as the new CSA National Coordinator.
I am not a stranger to the CSA! I am the proud Mother of Alexandra D’Agostino. Alexandra is a person who stutters, which is why I have gained an indepth understanding of PWS over the years. This comes from caring deeply about someone who stutters.
Drrrrumroll please: I’d like you to meet the Confidence Cousins
We’ve all heard of confidence (and most of us seek more of it!) but rarely do we acknowledge the equally important “confidence cousins”: self-esteem, optimism, self-compassion and self-efficacy. While we know stuttering is not directly affected by confidence, when we feel more confident we might feel less tension in our body, and that might make it just that much easier on our speech. Get to know the confidence cousins – you might like what you find!
Beyond Stuttering is a companion book for the McGuire Program, an intensive course and maintenance program for people who stutter. Thousands of people have attended the program since its launch in 1994, with many of them becoming McGuire coaches and instructors.
Last October, "John" (not his real name) thought about coming to the CSA conference but decided no – a whole day with people who stutter wasn’t for him. This year, he walked to the front of the hall during the open mic session and talked freely about why this year was different.
Christina Spicer
I knew something was different about me. No one wanted to tell me, but I knew I didn’t sound the same as everyone else. When I reflect back on my adolescence, I would describe it in one simple word: alone. I didn’t understand why I was different, how I could fix it, or why me? Despite the sincerity of my questions, I posed them to a silent audience, from an empty stage, in what felt like a dark room.
At this year's NSA Conference in Dallas, Texas, I met Cilla Ramia, a conference First Timer who is both a nurse and a person who stutters. I spent quite a bit of time with her at the conference asking her questions, which she was happy to answer! Shortly after getting into Nursing School at Nipissing University in May, I began doubting myself and my capabilities of eventually becoming a nurse.