The Lansing Area NSA chapter will the second Wednesday of every month starting in September 2017 from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Oyer Speech & Hearing Clinic, Room 107 on the campus of Michigan State University. We promote the belief that as people who stutter we are excellent communicators, whether fluent or not, and our message needs to be heard. Anyone who stutters, their family members, SLPs, SLP stud
ents, or anyone who has an interest may join. You do not have to live in the Lansing area, we accept anyone who wants to attend. Participating in this self-help support group will help you deal with stuttering in several ways:
• Changing your attitudes about stuttering can help shake the shame, guilt and embarrassment that makes speaking a hassle.
• If you are seeking stuttering treatment, we can supply a lot of information that will help you choose the therapy program that best meets your needs. Our members have had first-hand experience with a number of treatment programs, and we’re in touch with local speech-language pathologists who specialize in stuttering treatment.
• If you are currently working with a speech therapist, self-help meetings are an opportunity to get more value out of your therapy by practicing speaking skills in a supportive environment. Our main monthly meetings are friendly and informal. We open the meeting with words of encouragement, then decide on what we would like to discuss for the meeting. We usually have a laidback chat to exchange information about stuttering and handling stuttering-related situations. Both humourous and frustrating. We watch movies related to stuttering, and share our thoughts afterwards. Talking is purely your own choice, we would like all members to contribute, but at your own pace is best. Members feel free to stutter without fear of embarrassment, or to practice speaking in a non-threatening environment. There are no fees to join our local chapter. Just show-up, ready to have a great time, and enjoy your voice. We urge participants to join our national organization, the National Stuttering Association, to get the full benefit of membership. See the national website for details.
