No, there is no cure for stuttering, but many of our members reach the point where they have overcome their stutter. Stuttering is no longer a consideration in their lives regardless of the situation.
For others, we offer a proven method of controlling stuttering so that they can embrace speaking situations they would have previously avoided.
Anyone who offers a CURE for stuttering or stammering should be avoided.
We are not qualified speech and language therapists and we do not provide speech therapy. We do not diagnose or treat stuttering.
We consider our personal experience with stammering and our demonstrated commitment to assisting others to overcome their stutter or stammer over the long term as a significant qualification in its own right.
All our regional directors, staff trainers, course instructors, and coaches have all been through our program and we know from our own personal experience of stuttering how each new potential member feels.
We understand their anxiety, feelings, and emotions as we have all been there. What we offer is a support network for all our members who have been through an initial course where you learn a group of techniques that have helped us physically, mentally, and emotionally.
We are very similar to Lionel Logue from The Kings Speech Movie who was initially dismissed by the profession, we are also often dismissed by the professionals but bear in mind, over 95% of our members have had traditional speech therapy with little or no lasting results.
Yes, that is not a problem and it’s highly recommended.
There are many scams on the internet so we encourage all potential applicants to do their initial research thoroughly.
It is also very important to research how other stuttering programs calculate their success rates. Many only show success rates from those who respond to questionnaires or were assessed on the final day of their courses.
Contact the Regional Director in your region and he/she will provide you with phone numbers of members who are happy to share their experiences of stuttering and how they have overcome it.
You will also be welcome to attend our Open Days or Support Groups to ask questions, find out more about us, and speak to some members in person.
When considering any solution to stuttering the key question to ask is what ongoing coaching and support is offered and at what cost? This aspect is one of the strengths of the McGuire Programme and a major point of difference to other stuttering programs or indeed treatments.
Our approach starts with an intensive 3/4 day course where you are immersed in learning all our methodologies and techniques, practicing them all day long, and dealing with the physical, psychological, and emotional aspects of stuttering. This happens with other people who have been through this before, we all know what it’s like, and no fluent-speaking person can ever understand the feelings we experienced.
We work on replacing your old bad speaking and psychological habits with new good speaking and physiological habits.
After your first course, you become part of our incredible membership program where you will be coached and mentored as much or as little as you want. You also become part of the world’s biggest peer support collective for people who want to overcome their stutter.
The McGuire Programme provides a great solution for many people who stutter throughout the world.
By ‘community’ the writer is most likely referring to stuttering associations like the BSA, NSA, etc. With some, like Norway and Denmark, our relationships are very good. With others, not so good. Mostly this is due to their philosophy of accepting oneself as a ‘stutterer’/’person who stutters’, conflicting with our philosophy of accepting ourselves as ‘people working very hard, even fighting, to overcome stuttering and become good speakers’.
Some McGuire Programme members are active beyond the Programme as volunteers in other stammering self-help organisations such as the BSA (aka stamma) (British Stammering Association), the NSA (National Stuttering Association), the Australian Speak Easy Association, and the ISA (International Stuttering Association).
Alongside these bodies, the McGuire Programme plays its part in promoting public and professional awareness of stammering.
We are always open to questions from any person who stutters and always want to let them know that there is an alternative to just accepting yourself as an out-of-control stutterer. Most inspirational people who stutter are those who have fought to overcome it such as Joe Biden, Emily Blunt, and Bruce Willis to name a few.
Whilst we can not speak on behalf of individual SLP’s our experience to date has been as follows.
Some open-minded, if not brave, SLPs approve and value what we are doing to help those who stutter, (most likely) because they recognize the complexity and difficulty in achieving significant improvement with those who stutter that requires intervention from those who have experienced the trauma of stuttering and who have found a solution. They also recognise that overcoming stuttering requires more time and effort than an SLP is able to provide.
Other SLPs, probably most, believe that only ‘professionals’ who are degreed, trained, and licensed should be allowed to try to help people who stutter.
Others won’t accept a treatment approach that hasn’t been scientifically proven including peer-reviewed and published in a professional journal.
The vast majority of our members (upwards of 95%) have been through traditional speech therapy with little or no positive results.
The application form should be completed by yourself or, in the case of a minor, by a parent, guardian, or another responsible person.
If you choose to apply online, the first step is to go to the online application form. When you have filled in all the information we ask you to provide, click on the ‘Submit’ button and the security code directly below it. Your application will be sent to the Regional Director. You will receive a confirmation shortly afterward.
If you (or someone speaking on your behalf) prefer to contact the Regional Director, just click on contact us and you can submit your message online. You can also contact the Regional Director directly by e-mail, telephone, or letter; you will find contact details on the website. An application form will be sent to you upon request. This should be completed and returned to the Regional Director. You will receive a confirmation shortly afterward by whichever method you prefer (e-mail, telephone, or letter).
The Regional Director will provide dates for forthcoming intensive courses that still have places available for new students.
Many people who stammer – perhaps most – enter stammering therapy wishing to become fluent. After years of negative speaking experiences, this is understandable. However, it is a paradox that fluency, when pursued above all else, can be a self-defeating goal.
Much more productive is to start with assertive self-acceptance. Learning to accept ourselves fully in the role of people who stammer can be challenging, but it is the crucial first step in beyond stammering. Interestingly, by taking the focus away from fluency as a primary objective, fluency is often achieved as a by-product.
We aim for articulate eloquence because we want you to take pride in your role as a speaker. Many of our members have been described as “well-spoken”. Indeed, many of our members are involved in public speaking organisations such as Toastmasters, Association of Speakers Clubs, and Rostrum.
McGuire Programme members regularly win public speaking awards.
Overcoming stuttering is a difficult process. That’s why we work on both the physical and psychological aspects of stuttering as well as practice the techniques in public. This is to give you the best possible initial start on your journey to overcome your stutter.
Sessions usually begin most mornings at 8:00 am and end at about 10:00 pm
Yes, we do have regular breaks. We break for 10 minutes after every 50-minute session and we have extended breaks for lunches and dinners.
This is to ensure that the information given is retained. It also gives an opportunity to ‘freshen up’, stretch your legs, and get some fresh air.
After members gain control over their own stutter many have a passion to help other people who stutter. They return to courses to assist in coaching roles and perhaps after appropriate training, they become involved in instructing on courses.
Other members leave the 3-day course 100% fluent and feel they are “cured”.
However, because they don’t practice the breathing and speaking technique or challenge their feared speaking situations, they may continue to have problems. Some of the members who do not put in enough time and effort on their speech after their initial course and take advantage of our incredible support network go back to old habits. However, they can then return to a 3 or 4-day intensive refresher course for only a small daily fee, refresh their technique, and get back on track.
Prior to attending a course a person who stutters may be apprehensive because they are afraid that it may not work, they may let other people down, they may not want anyone to know what they are doing, etc – everybody is different and each person processes their feelings differently.
It may be useful to ask them if they want to meet other members of the same age before the course. It may be useful to ask if they want to do this alone or with your support from the start. It depends on each person’s own journey but all you can do is to be there to support them however they want it.
Once he attends the course, he’ll see that he is among people who like him, stutter, and who have all experienced the associated problems. The course presents challenging situations but all activities are optional. We don’t ask people to do anything we don’t believe they can do.
