After some weather stopped us from meeting at our normal date/time, we were finally able to come together for the February meeting this past Wednesday. Eight people were in attendance, with one new member who traveled from an hour away!

We started the meeting with short introductions and griping about the snow and activities we all participate in to cope. We created visuals (drawings, word depictions etc.) of stereotypes and feelings related to stuttering. There were no future VanGoghs in the group, but the visuals sparked a good discussion regarding fears, coping strategies, and openness regarding stuttering.

To round out the meeting we listened to a StutterTalk podcast from a fourth year medical student in England, who described his positive experience with being open and honest about his stuttering with patients. Everyone had a lot to share this meeting and the consensus of the group seemed to reflect that while telling others about having a stutter is difficult, there are positive benefits in the long run.

– Brittany