Therapy Services
Support Groups & Group Therapy
AIS offers unique and effective group therapy and support group services for adults, teens, kids, and loved ones.
We know how stuttering can seem to permeate every aspect of one’s life. We understand and we can help. The American Institute for Stuttering works with people who stutter of all ages from pre-school to school-age children, to teens and adults. We provide support to the person who stutters as well as to their families.
Through our years of experience, we have seen that participation in group therapy and support groups are an excellent way for people who stutter to further their sense of empowerment and freedom to communicate without avoidance.
Contact us to learn more and connect with the AIS community!
The power of group therapy has been well-documented in research and our own clinical experience. At AIS, we strive to connect clients with one another in order to create a community of support, accountability, and encouragement as they work to make sustainable changes to their stuttering experience.
Avoidance Reduction Therapy for Stuttering (ARTS©) is an approach to stuttering therapy based on the pioneering work of fellow speech therapist Vivian Sisskin and psychologist Dr. Joseph Sheehan. In ARTS, the real “problem” of stuttering is not the disfluencies themselves, but the negative life impact that attempting to pass as fluent has on the speaker. Together with an AIS therapist, clients work together to face their speaking-related fears, make changes to tense, avoidant stuttering patterns in favor of more ease and spontaneity, develop self-advocacy skills, and ultimately, find more joy in communication. Clients report immense positive changes in their confidence during functional communication experiences (e.g, job interviews, presentations, meeting new people, etc.), significant reduction in their physical speech struggle, and an overall improvement in their quality of life.
ARTS groups are held weekly or bi-weekly at this time based on client availability, with sessions lasting for two hours.
Stuttering support groups provide a safe space where participants can speak openly about their experiences and stutter without fear. The format allows participants to share as much or as little as they wish.
Support groups allow people who stutter to feel more comfortable discussing their stuttering, to feel less isolated in their experiences, and to reduce their negative thoughts and feelings about stuttering.
The support group also provides a safe sharing environment for those who might normally not contribute. Participants are able to practice learned techniques for stuttering modification if they so choose. They are also excellent places to learn and practice self-advocacy. Led by warm and experienced AIS clinicians, our support groups are a great addition to individual speech therapy sessions.
All people who stutter, regardless of age, benefit greatly from support. That is why we offer support groups in all age categories. For young children, support can take the form of just talking to a peer who stutters or meeting an adult role model who shares their concerns. AIS provides these opportunities as well as special workshops where kids who stutter can speak openly in the company of other children who face the same challenge, They will learn that they are not alone, and share ways to communicate effectively and without avoidance or struggle.
Health insurance rarely covers costs for stuttering support groups. AIS is dedicated to making these resources available to all people who stutter and these sessions are free of charge to all people who wish to participate.
All past and present AIS clients are welcome to attend our support groups. If you have not attended any AIS programming, we invite you to schedule a consultation with one of our speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and become part of the AIS community.
All clients who have received therapy at AIS in New York, Atlanta, or online have unlimited access to our monthly support and practice groups as well as our special speaker series presentations and specialty workshops. We periodically open events to friends and family members, and to the general public as well.
See our Program Calendar for more information about these offerings.
At AIS we are proud to be involved with the stuttering community and we are happy to share connections and support opportunities from other organizations, including:
The NSA and FRIENDS offer yearly annual conferences. Contact them for additional information.
