November Recap

November Recap

Following our successful first meeting of the month, we held our second meeting last Monday night. It was a small but vibrant crowd with 18 people in attendance, including 2 SLP’s and 2 newcomers. We split into two groups for more personalized conversation. Here is some of what we discussed:

Job Interviews

The important and relevant topic of job interviews was brought up and discussed. Members shared their stresses and anxieties related to interviews, and especially how stuttering played a role in increasing those anxieties.  Sympathies first, then ideas were exchanged on ways to navigate the interview process. Members supported one another with ideas such as advertising, working on positive self-image, and challenging ones self, despite the outcome.

Family Shame

Several members talked about how, especially when they were younger, their parents misunderstood stuttering and treated them poorly because of it. They shared how their families looked at stuttering with shame and struggled to accept them because of their stutter. Members agreed that most of the time parents and family members were uneducated about the disorder, and though hurt, were willing to move past that because they understood the vast gap between the knowledge they had and the knowledge about what stuttering actually is.

Taking the Reigns back

The topic of not letting stuttering take control of your life came up when one member said he didn’t want to let stuttering control his decisions anymore. A wise and caring member reflected on the times he let stuttering hold him back, and how in recent years he’s been much happier because he made choices to do what he wanted, despite his stutter. This opened up a conversation about other times group members made choices to do what they wanted regardless of their stutter, and how doing so often left them empowered and ready to tackle new hurdles.

The Acceptance Continuum

The question about fully accepting ones’ stuttering was asked by a curious and inquisitive member who attended our meeting for the first time. This opened up an insightful and heartfelt conversation of what acceptance truly is. Members discussed how acceptance is more of a journey than a destination, often something that moves along a continuum; something that it is not measured by physical outcomes, but rather by inner peace and joy.

 

Announcements

Holiday Party: We will be having our annual holiday party on Saturday night, December 10th, at Juniper Bar from 8:00-11:00. Bring along your holiday spirit and get ready to have some fun!

Brooklyn Group: The next Brooklyn chapter meeting will be on Monday, December 12th. Check out their site here for more information.

Getting Involved: We are always looking for new ways to expand our chapter. If you have an idea that you’d like to share, or would like to get involved, please email us at nsamidtown@gmail.com. We’d love to hear from you!

November (SLP Meeting) Recap

November (SLP Meeting) Recap

After several months of increased interest from SLP’s (Speech-Language Pathologists) and SLP’s in training to join our meetings, we held our first-ever second meeting of the month. The meeting was geared towards opening the dialogue between professionals in the field and People Who Stutter. This included asking and answering important questions, exchanging stories and ideas, and sharing resources. There was a high turnout, with 30 people in attendance, including 15 professionals, and 15 People Who Stutter.

Two outstanding chapter members, Chani Markel and Hector Perez, facilitated the meeting. They started the night by sharing their stories, after which they handed out index cards for the SLP’s to ask questions to the people in the group who stuttered. The questions included finding out about the effectiveness of stuttering therapy, the hereditary components of stuttering, the role of acceptance in stuttering, and the role the NSA plays in a Person Who Stutters life. Each question was followed by an interactive and engaging conversation, during which new and old thoughts, sentiments, and ideas were shared.

The topic of education and advocacy came up several times throughout the night, and the importance of them was discussed from the perspective of the PWS’s and the SLP. We especially talked about the tremendous opportunity SLP’s have to educate the public and advocate for PWS. We shared the websites of support organizations, including the National Stuttering Association, FRIENDS: National Association for Young People Who Stutter, and SAY: The Stuttering Association for the Young. Other resources, such as the Stuttertalk podcast, stuttering therapy resources, and The Stuttering Foundation’s website were shared as well. 

The meeting ended in high spirits, with lots of gratitude and eager anticipation for more meetings to come.  Several people headed over to Juniper’s to share a few more good laughs and connecting moments before returning to the hustle and bustle of the week ahead.

We are always looking for new ways to expand our horizons as a chapter. If you have any ideas that could move our chapter forward, please reach out to us and share at midtownstutters@gmail.com. We are excited to hear them!

November Meeting Reminder

November Meeting Reminder

A reminder that we have our usual monthly Midtown meeting this upcoming Monday November 21st. We are so looking forward to this night of support and synergy.

When: This Monday November 21st 7:30pm-9pm
Where: Aspire, 248 W 35th St, New York, NY 10001

Hope to see you there!!!

-Midtown co-leaders

Additional Meeting This November!

Additional Meeting This November!

Calling all SLP and Students!!!

In case you haven’t heard.. we’re having TWO meetings this month! (As if you guys haven’t had enough of us already..)

Because a lot of SLP students have recently been expressing interest in our support groups, we will be hosting an additional meeting this upcoming Monday November 7th with the intent to help familiarize SLP’s, SLP students, and others with our support group’s mission.

Anyone who is interested is more than welcome to attend! Just like our regular meetings, we will be meeting from 7:30- 9:00 pm at Aspire Center for Health and Wellness at 248 West 35th Street.

Don’t worry though; we will still be having our regular November meeting on Monday November 21st at our same time and same location!

So repeat after me: November. Two Meetings.

  1. First Meeting- Monday November 7th
  2. Second Meeting- Monday November 21st

We hope to see you all there!!