Stammering (also called stuttering) can affect people of all ages and is more common in males than females. Many research projects have been carried out to establish the cause of stammering. Stammering is variable, and the amount and severity of stammering can increase/decrease at different times, with different people or in different environments. It can also be affected by how the person is feeling. Consequently, words that can be said quite easily on one occasion, may be not be spoken fluently on other occasions. Sometimes stammering can be hidden (covert), where the speaker changes words when they anticipate a stammer. Or, they may avoid speaking in certain situations.
Stammering/stuttering can be helped. Specialist therapy can help both children and adults to increase their fluency and become confident and successful communicators whether or not they continue to stammer. Treatment will have a positive impact in the following situations: work, school/further education, meetings, making and receiving phone calls, talking in public, interviews, applying for promotions, forming relationships, belonging and participating, meeting new people, talking in public, expressing feelings, standing up for yourself and so on.
In her NHS role, Mrs Addlestone is head of the stammering service for children in a community setting and head of the stammering service for adults in a hospital setting – she both trains and supports junior therapists. She has extensive experience in diagnosing and treating stammerers and has training in counselling, family therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy. Mrs Addlestone has worked as a lecturer and examiner on the speech therapy graduate course at MMU (Manchester Metropolitan University).
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Since beginning my sessions with Sue the transformation in my speech has been remarkable. From the very first session I have noticed marked improvements in my speech and I am now speaking more fluidly than ever before. Things like phone calls and ordering from a menu in a restaurant used to cause me a great deal of anxiety but now I don't even give them a second thought. Sue offers a very flexible service even allowing me to arrange appointments at various locations. She is always keen to keep in touch between sessions and does so via both phone and email. I cannot recommend Sue highly enough. SB
I have had a stutter all my life. I recently decided to do something about it and went to see Sue. Sue helped me to understand my stutter and at last I have overcome it completely. I was best man at a wedding and had to give a speech it went really well and I didn’t stutter! Sue has helped me so much. JL
I was initially sceptical that speech therapy could help me. The I met Sue and was impressed by her enthusiasm, commitment, expertise and engaging personality. She was able to eventually "tease out" the root causes of my speech problem. I am so grateful that I went to her. I am just a little sad not to be seeing such a sparkling, addictive personality again. Jk
I was really quite nervous about what it would be like to sit and explain how I felt to someone, but Sue put me at ease as soon as I met her - over the next sessions it felt more like talking to a friend than a formal visit. The past couple of years have been very difficult for me, and I thought I might have to just live with my symptoms. However, Sue showed me really good techniques so that I could learn to control the signs of stress by using these techniques, which were easy to learn and made me feel as if I was back in control again. Thank you so much Sue for all your help. SF
Sue is amazing at finding the positivity in you. She brings it out in a way that makes you forget you can feel any other way. SG
Not only Sue helped my husband gained back his confidence she helped me understand what was happening to him. She listened with a genuine care and empathy then used her skills to get him overcome his anxiety . Sue you are a great lady and a wonderful professional ZA
I want to thank you Sue for your exceptional kindness and sincerity. In a world that gets worse and worse everyday meeting people like you is very refreshing! You helped me very much with my stammer and I really enjoyed your sessions. Keep it up! Dan Smith
Mrs Addlestone provide me a solution for my stammering which I have been trying to solve for awhile, as I am a PhD student I have to deliver many presentations and attending seminars, before seeing Sue was very difficult for me to stand up in front of audience and speak confidentially. However, now I am the best in my group. She was very understanding, helpful and always a smile and natural friendly manner. I would like to say thank you very much Sue for your support. Sue is the best!! SH
My stammer was holding me back in regards to my career....I wouldn't apply for any jobs that involved phone work, so I felt stuck because of my stammer. I approached Sue as I had an interview coming up with a huge company that offered real career prospects and better money. From my first session with Sue, I went home with a lot of information and felt like I had turned a corner. The work continued after my first session and I then had an interview, which I would not have been able to do before my first appointment. Before my second appointment (on the day actually), I got a phone call and got offered the job that I had the interview for, and was over the moon. More money, much better prospects, more holidays, no more ungrateful employer and hope for the future! Two weeks into my new job, I have given three group presentations in front of 20+ people, all of which have gone great (and the third one was better than I could have wished for), I have also met lots of new people, all of which is in a totally new environment, which previously would have been terrifying for me. Overall, my four appointments with Sue have taken away a lot of the anxiety and fear that comes from my stammer. I'm really grateful for what (Sue has) done for me and I can see how far I have come. IB
For years I delayed seeking expert advice about my stammer and was skeptical about the chances of anyone being able to cure me, but Sue did just that over one summer. Contrary to all my preconceptions, our sessions were enjoyable and not at all threatening, awkward or embarrassing. From the first meeting I felt optimistic: Sue did not treat me as a patient seeking a cure or as a client buying her expertise, she talked to me as a fellow human being. She taught me techniques to improve my speech and made me feel for the first time in my life that I could control my stammer and not be ruled by it. That was the breakthrough that made the difference. I recently took part in a presentation and Q&A session and throughout this, I cannot recall a single hesitation. I was exhilarated afterwards and felt I had cleared a major hurdle. I would not have managed it without Sue’s intervention and expertise. Sue worked with me showing warmth, insight and a high degree of professionalism. I am indebted to Sue and I would recommend her without reservation or hesitation to anyone. I hope her future clients can take real heart from what has happened to me. If they listen to Sue, read her material and practise - transformation can be achieved. She has been a great help to me in so many ways and has made an enormous contribution. I am, and will remain, indebted to her. AM
Just a quick note , to thank you once again for your help. My everyday quality of life has massively changed since you explained the cause and reason for my speech blocking. Now that I understand what the problem is or should I say was, I find it easy to take a breath, relax and rectify the situation. With this in mind my self asteem and confidence has improved dramatically, especially in meetings were I now feel relaxed instead of anxious and being concerned that my speech wasn't going to be fluent. Its great to be able to focus more on the purpose of my meeting and not on the fact that I might stuggle with my next sentence. It was a pleasure to both meet and work with you. Mark Stephenson
My son is 25 and had suffered from a stammer, especially in situations where he was uncertain. This could be during a conversation on the telephone, with a client or whilst meeting colleagues. This was having a huge impact on his life. We decided to seek help and contacted Sue. From the moment I spoke to Sue, there was a confidence that a solution would be found for my son’s stammer. As a team, Sue and my son worked hard together for him to master the techniques to control his stammer and she gave him strategies to deal with the situations. My son now has confidence in every situation. He is not avoiding situations any more and feels in control, which he didn’t feel before his speech therapy. I would without hesitation recommend Sue to support anybody in overcoming barriers with their speech. PW
Sue was amazing. She taught me how to improve my speech by giving me little exercises to do daily that really took up no time. After 2 sessions I was well on my way to getting better. She gave me support outside of the consultations too, either by calling me or by emailing me. I found her to be kind and sincere, and the empathy she showed made me feel she really wanted to help me. I would not hesitate to recommend Sue. She does great work. JS
I began attending speech therapy with Sue as I had previously had bad experiences doing presentations and did not enjoy speaking on the phone. Since I have been receiving speech therapy, I feel a lot more confident speaking to people and in public situations. Last year I was asked to be best man at a wedding and my speech was a resounding success. Even now I am still getting people complimenting me on the speech. Thank you Sue for all your suppport. I certainly wouldn't have delivered the "best, best man speech ever" without your help! AE
My son Harry is 14 and has a stammer. He had been attending speech therapy on the NHS for almost a year, but his stammer had not got any better. I found Sue through the internet and we made an appointment to see her. Not only was she lovely with Harry, she made him feel very comfortable. Sue began teaching him techniques straight away. Harry learned more in the one hour he spent with Sue than he has learned all year with the NHS therapist. She also taught him how to say his name without stammering which he never thought he could do.........Thank you so much Sue – you are very special! HR
I had been unable to speak for a long time. It made me very down and lonely. I didn't want to go out or see anyone. I had given up hope of ever being able to speak again so my daughter contacted Sue. I could not believe how it took her only three weeks to teach me how to speak again! I can't begin to explain how grateful I am to Sue - she has helped me get my life back. AG
Sue is a wonderful teacher that really gets the idea's that you have to learn through in a clear way. The techniques that I have learnt from her will help me develop my voice with confidence. If anyone needs a voice therapist I would highly recommend her, I would not hesitate to go back to her in the future if I needed additional help. SM
I found the speech therapy sessions incredibly useful. They were tailored based on careful discussion and a deep look into what could be the underlying causes of my speech issue. Once this was found, we worked together with very well-prepared material to solve the problems. Sue's friendly demeanour and patient approach makes for a very stress-free time and after just 5 sessions, everything has been sorted. I am now more confident when I speak to people and have no problems with public speaking and being understood. Both psychology and physical mechanics are dealt with in a way that has allowed me to be more aware of what I am doing when I speak. I cannot speak highly enough of my experience!! Many thanks! BK
It has felt a long road at times, but with your patience, enthusiasm and determination, I feel so much more confident. I am truly grateful to have both met and worked with you.You are a true professional, showing great warmth and compassion. So "thanks a million"! CL
Since beginning my sessions with Sue the transformation in my speech has been remarkable. From the very first session I have noticed marked improvements in my speech and I am now speaking more fluidly than ever before. Things like phone calls and ordering from a menu in a restaurant used to cause me a great deal of anxiety but now I don't even give them a second thought. Sue offers a very flexible service even allowing me to arrange appointments at various locations. She is always keen to keep in touch between sessions and does so via both phone and email. I cannot recommend Sue highly enough. Sam Bryan
My son has had a stammer ever since he started speaking. He was referred to a speech therapist who he saw for 6 months. Although she taught him lots of strategies, he felt defeated by his stammer. He also got bullied in year 7 and his bully targeted his stammer. He became anxious about going to school and this made his stammer worse. When my son began seeing Sue, his confidence was at an all time low and he was stammering constantly. Sue managed to gain his trust with her honesty and determination. She has also helped him deal with a lot of the emotions he had bottled up - not easy for a 14 year old boy. Since seeing Sue my son’s confidence has grown. He is no longer defined by his stammer and he successfully uses the techniques Sue taught him. I would like to thank Sue from the bottom of my heart for everything she has done to help my son.
Sue has helped me to gain confidence in regular presentations, which has a huge impact on my studies and career. I came to see Sue initially for help with speech and presentation skills. However Sue was immediately able to target and get rid of a problem which I have had a for several years but have been unable to stop. Since seeing Sue, my speech is considerably clearer! It is with great pleasure that I highly recommend Sue. I cannot thank her enough! CS
Thank you for being so kind. My son had such a positive experience and it is a relief to know that he is able to work on some of the techniques that you have shown him. He came out with a spring in his step and he has got so much from just that one session already. JK
Sue's help has enabled me to overcome issues with self-confidence, manifested in a lack of communication ability, that I have had for some time. Her understanding throughout therapy of my predicament and high level of competency in diagnosing and finding a solution to my problem is greatly appreciated - highly recommended. Tom T
Sue treated my son just over 12 months ago when he lost his voice. When it returned, she went on to treat him for a stammer. Tom has never looked back since he finished his sessions with Sue last year. He was chosen to attend a 3 day course on radio presenting and at the end of the project he told me he was going to be the one of the presenters for an final show. I have to say I was quite concerned and I sat with my heart almost in my mouth waiting for him to set foot on the stage, but he came out and said his lines as clear as a bell. I was not only proud for what he was doing, but doubly so because of the problem he has had with this speech and him never wanting to be involved with anything because of it. If it wasn't for Sue, I don't think Tom would have got involved with any of the above. I have asked him more than once if he ever thought he would be involved in any of the above this time last year. His answer is always 'no'. I want to say a very big THANK YOU for the treatment and advice Sue gave to Tom on how to deal with his problem. I'm sure he would not be doing any of the above had we not been so lucky to be introduced to Sue. p.s. Tom's latest career desire is to be a TV presenter. Susan S
I am extremely grateful to God Almighty Who has led me to such a dedicated professional as Sue. I was completely mute following a tragedy nearly three years ago. The quality of the therapy that i received from Sue has resulted in me speaking once again. I travelled all the way from Pakistan to receive treatment in the UK and can confidently say that anyone who has a speech impediment or has ever suffered trauma to their speaking ability should seek assistance from Sue Addleston. May family and friends are all indebted to Sue for the time and effort that she has expended on me and helped me to communicate verbally. On a personal note Sue, I am deeply honoured to have met such a lovely professional as yourself. Your humbleness coupled with the determination and patience that you offer to your patients is surely the key their achieving what they either never had or as in my case regaining that which was lost following an unfortunate incident. My prayers go out for you and your family. Ishtiaq Ahmed
Enlisting the help of Sue Addlestone as speech/voice therapist is one of the best personal and professional decisions I have ever made. For most of my adult life, I have suffered with the sometimes debilitating belief that I spoke too quickly and also muttered. This left me unwilling to speak in certain social or work situations for the fear of being misunderstood, of being asked to repeat myself or worst still, of making a fool of myself. Sue helped me understand which of my issues were real and which were simply perceived. She then taught me a number of effective but easy to master techniques which boosted both my clarity of speech and my confidence. Two days after our final session I gave a best man’s speech to over 70 people and (pretty much) nailed it! I can’t thank Sue enough for her help and advice. Considering the profound and positive impact she has had on my life, I am only too happy to recommend her services to others. Wayne Mohammed
I wish I approached Sue a lot sooner than I did. I had problems with my speech for years and with one hour of teaching from Sue these problems were quickly fixed. I now find myself speaking clearly, with confidence and enjoying conversations much more since my visit. I have noticed such a big difference and couldn’t be happier. I'd recommend anyone to see Sue if they aren't completely happy with their speech. It's the best money I've spent all year! PD
Having a few issues with public speaking (breathing and projection), I found the session with Sue very helpful to appreciate what was the issue and how to remedy this going forwards. Daniel Stephenson
I met Sue last night and I was nervous to begin with, she soon made me at ease and taught me how to correct me speech, Thanks Sue....... I will be back for more lessons if what you have taught me does not rectify my fault. Adam Bradshaw