Can I afford stuttering therapy? What my stuttering therapy cost me.

Good question and one that everyone considering intensive therapy needs to address.

 What my stuttering therapy cost me:

I went through this same intensive therapy program in 1982 with Dr. George Shames, at the University of Pittsburg, one of the developers of the Stutter-Free Speech Program. So here is what my stuttering therapy cost me:

1. Plane trip from California to Pittsburgh and back
2. Food and Lodging in Pittsburgh
3. Intensive Therapy Treatment fees
4. Monthly billing for the follow-up program for one year.

Now, the exact fees are different from what they are now, but it was still a good chunk of money for me. My supervisor at the hospital recommended this program to me. She was a past student of Dr. Shames, while the Stutter-Free Speech Program had just been developed in 1980.

 What I got out of the program

The last day of the intensive week, I was talking with store clerks in downtown Pittsburgh without stuttering.

1. I also came back to the University and was able to hold a conversation with a group of graduate students and enjoyed every minute.
2. When I got back to California, I began the formal transfer of my new skills to speaking situations in my real world starting with easy and gradually building up over a period of one year. This follow-up was carefully managed by weekly phone calls back to the clinic.
3. One month after I completed the program, a psychologist asked me to be the only guest on a half-hour television interview show that was interested in my recovery from stuttering. Needless to say, I was quite nervous the night before, but all went well the next day.
4. I began doing things differently. I did things that I never thought that I would be able to do before.
   1. Presented workshops on stuttering to the speech staff of large school districts.
   2. Accepted a job as a lecturer at a major university.
   3. Was invited to speak to large groups of 200-300 speech pathologists about my program at speech association conventions.
   4. Started a private practice to help other people who stuttered with the same program that worked for me.

None of this was possible before I went for treatment. Was it worth the money and time I spent 20 years ago? For me, the answer is a resounding  YES!

For you, your life may change differently – but it will change.

You:

1. May get a better job or a promotion at the job you like. You may make more money as a result of your improved communication skills.
2. Will be able to say what you want to say when it is important and not need to change the words around so you can get it out.

Your Choices

Now there is no guarantee that online theaoy will work for you. It has for many others who were committed to not only the intensive part but the daily work during the follow up afterward.

The choice is yours. Many people who stutter have chosen to accept their stuttering. There is nothing wrong with that.

Just know that now you do have a choice.