As part of our goal to make quality stuttering treatment available nationwide, AIS is excited to announce its first ever satellite office on the West Coast. Starting this month, clients in Southern California will have the option of scheduling in-person appointments at our brand new, brick-and-mortar location in sunny Santa Monica. Teletherapy will also be available throughout California, on Pacific Standard Time.
The new office is situated right in Downtown Santa Monica. We're blocks from the outdoor shopping at Third Street Promenade and just a short walk to the bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the famous Santa Monica Pier. It's a dream neighborhood, bright and family-friendly, which allows us to welcome newcomers in a warm, comfortable environment.
The move out West has long been a dream of ours. We’ve been fortunate over the years to work with many clients in the L.A. area, and several of our board members call Southern California home. In addition, the Covid-era transition to online therapy has shown us that, with a little ingenuity, we can reach parts of the country where those struggling with stuttering may have few options for help. The new L.A. office is a big step step in further expanding this access.
AIS was founded in 1998, in New York City, by Catherine Otto Montogomery, a legendary and beloved speech-language pathologist who worked with people who stutter for over 30 years. To this day, we trace our holistic approach to her belief that the “below the iceberg” aspects of stuttering—the emotional and cognitive components—deserve as much attention and care as the physical symptoms. And while she isn’t here to see her project expand and flourish, we know she’d be proud to see AIS inspiring more and more people who stutter to “Speak Freely, and Live Fearlessly.”
Clinician Gregory Scott has made the move out to California and will be getting us up and running, building on his previous experience establishing stuttering therapy services in Minneapolis, MN. He’s excited for the challenge and can’t wait to introduce Angelenos to the AIS magic.
Of course, we’ve got a few special events planned to kick things off in L.A.
The first is our Therapy Jumpstarter, an in-person, one-day workshop on September 17 to help “jumpstart” new clients on their path to easier speech. Intended for those new to therapy—or those returning after a long absence—this immersive workshop will serve as an introductory “sampler” of AIS’s unique, whole-person approach. If you’ve ever been curious about how AIS is different, this is the perfect way to try us out without committing to ongoing therapy sessions. You can find registration information here.
Then, on September 20, we’re inviting friends to join us for Cocktails and Conversation on the office terrace. The reception will serve as a housewarming for the new space, as well as a way for those curious about AIS to meet staff and learn about our mission. Please reach out to us for details.
Our clients will tell you that AIS is like a second home, and the people, a second family.
While many people who stutter first come to AIS and describe feeling alone and helpless, they soon discover a place where they know they are understood and supported — a place where they can free their voice. With this new L.A. office, that family gets a little bigger, our net of support a little wider.
We offer a range of services including early intervention for children as young as two years, individual stuttering therapy for children and adults, specialty group workshops, a monthly practice and support group, and unique events, workshops, and speaker series that run throughout the year. We conduct services in-person as well as over the internet for clients whom telepractice is a more convenient option.
As always, financial assistance is available for all services. Learn more about Financial Assistance for stuttering therapy.
American Institute for Stuttering
1250 S. 6th St., #203
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(424) 610-9399
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The American Institute for Stuttering is a leading non-profit organization whose primary mission is to provide universally affordable, state-of-the-art speech therapy to people of all ages who stutter, guidance to their families, and much-needed clinical training to speech professionals wishing to gain expertise in stuttering. Offices are located in New York, NY, Atlanta, GA, and Los Angeles, CA, and services are also available online. Our mission extends to advancing public and scholarly understanding of this often misunderstood disorder.
