NSA Orange County August 25 Meeting Update

Yes, it’s been 3 weeks since this meeting, but I’ve been up to my neck in alligators with stuff to do. I finally have a little time to write this update, as I’m now only up to my waist in gerbils. Still, this will be a short update.

Four people were present, including 2 new members – welcome, Luis & Paul! Luis wants to attend UCLA to become an SLP, but needs to take some preliminary courses at Cal State Fullerton. Good luck to him. Paul is a voice major at Cal State Fullerton & sings professionally at his church. He says he doesn’t stutter when singing. Imagine that!

For most of the meeting, a member described an intensive stuttering clinic he recently completed at the Northwest Center for Fluency Disorders  (NWCFD) at Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho. The NWCFD program is different in that it uses SLPs & Counseling to treat the whole person, not just focusing on fluency. It uses what it calls Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), a mindfulness-based mental health approach that includes meditation. It tries to attain realistic goals for the client. Here’s a link. http://www.northwestfluency.org. The member was very pleased with his experience there.

The rest of the meeting was an open-ended conversation on various aspects of stuttering. See, I told
you it would be a short update.

Next meeting is on September 22.