Who we are

Stammering: more than just words

I would avoid any situation that involved even a little bit of talking.  I was very isolated from my friends. I experienced lots of bullying and was so afraid of everyday activity. I would never go to a sports club because I had so much anxiety about saying my name.

For parents fear and uncertainty about their child’s future can be overwhelming: Even at the age of 9, he would say ‘I will never get a job because I can’t even say my own name’. This was heart breaking to hear. His feelings about his stammer prevented him from participating in school, he felt he could not answer questions in class, attend the clubs he wanted or socialise with friends.

Stammering, or stuttering, is not just about getting words out. It can impact a young person’s confidence, wellbeing, their academic, career and life choices. Parents and wider family can feel helpless and fearful of what the future holds for their children.

Evidence shows specialist therapy can be life changing. Our expert speech and language therapists focus on understanding each child’s experience of stammering to help them find their voice and feel valued for what they say, not how they say it.

Your donation can help unlock access to life changing therapy when children and families need it most.

My time with the MPC was generously charity funded. I accessed individual and group therapy as a young adult. The support has been invaluable. I applied to university, which was such a tough thought for so many years. I’m now a tennis coach, go on holidays without my parents. I can now speak for myself and not need to rely on others or isolate myself. It has also given me a large support network of young adults who stammer. ” 

He returned to school, wrote a PowerPoint about stammering, how to listen and help children who stammer, and with the help of his teacher, presented this to every year group in school. This was a huge thing for him, as previously he felt humiliation and shame about his stammer.

Returning home from the course, his confidence and outlook on life had dramatically increased.

All of this was only possible due to the timely, sensitive and expert advice and support from the therapists at the MPC and I will forever be grateful for their kind and compassionate approach. The journey we have been on at the MPC has been incredible.

Who we are
THE MICHAEL PALIN CENTER HELPLINE

Sometimes you just need someone to talk to

HELPLINE

Sometimes you just need someone to talk to

Our Helpline, 020 3316 8100, is open during office hours (9am-5pm) and voicemail messages can be left when the office is closed.

“I gained a fantastic grounding in CBT and the interweaving with other therapeutic tools and ways of working with all clients. I came to develop my CBT skills with a voice caseload. Although the course relates to stammering I can see that the skills and knowledge are easily transferable to my caseload.”

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Charitable donations to the Michael Palin Centre are administered by The Whittington Health Charity, Registered Charity Number 1056452 www.whittingtonhealthcharity.org. For this purpose alone, The Whittington Health Charity will also hold your details. We take your privacy seriously and will never sell or swap your details with other third parties. You can withdraw your consent to be contacted at any time by calling 020 3316 8100 or by emailing [email protected] Information about how the Trust protects personal data is set out in our privacy policy.
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