Without any of these three elements, speech therapy for stuttering is not effective and falls short. My main question for you is how enthusiastic are you about each of these elements? If you're not, well it's a sure sign there's room for improvement.

This applies to any type of transformation you're looking for with regards to stuttering. Some look for ways how to stop stuttering. I like the terms "freedom from stuttering" and "elevating your speaking confidence" better.

#1 Stuttering technique or the "training speech"

Speech therapy for stuttering is typically perceived as learning new tools to control stuttering better.

Yet, oftentimes, people who stutter simply don't like the techniques. They don't like how it sounds and feels. Megan Washington, for example, in her TEDx talk says that the smooth speech makes her feel like a fake.

Some people might think, why should I like it? It's a medical thing. It's prescribed for you - go and do it! Well, it doesn't work this way. You can prescribe it a million times, but if we don't like it, we'll find a million reasons why not use it.

#2 The process of moving the techniques to real life

How to actually start speaking this new way not in the therapy room, but in all real life situations and settings.

I remember when I was 27 I took my speech therapy for stuttering as a person who stutters. I loved the hand technique that I learned, but I didn't have a plan how to actually use it in real life.

In many cases, both speech pathologists and people who stutter think that speech therapy ends with learning the technique. In fact, it's just the beginning of the journey. Unfortunately, I hear all the time how people describe their improvement and then it "fades away" and the techniques "lose their power" and "stop working."

#3 Identity

Who am I becoming? The answer "I'm becoming a regular fluent person" seems logical, but it's a pitfall.

Without embracing a new identity of a person who is in speech therapy for stuttering and who is working on its speech, there's no way to truly open up and truly use the training speech in real life settings.

Ironically, this new identity can connect a person who stutters to the both worlds - the world of fluent people and the world of people who stutter. We start to feel authentic, we start to feel that we belong.

These three elements create a new cycle that starts to reproduce itself. Where a person can speak on its terms and truly enjoy speaking interaction. It removes stuttering anxiety and tension. And without stuttering anxiety and tension it's not quite stuttering as a condition any more.

Three action items I have for you:

1) Please check how enthusiastic you are about each of those three elements.

2) Check out the major stuttering techniques.

3) Stay tuned for the next episodes - we'll take a deep dive into each of these elements.