29th Annual Convention · July 23 – 25, 2026

Over time more support became available online. The pandemic altered this landscape even more, and Friends began having online support groups, and some clinicians online therapy for stuttering. Now with sites like Discord some younger stutterers may have a support system exclusively online. And where will AI fit in, if at all? In this workshop participants of all ages will be encouraged to think about these topics, and how their support network has changed and evolved over time.

and creating. Through conversation, reflection and physical exploration, DYSFLUENCY in MOTION builds a bridge between dysfluency and embodied expression.

What adventures do I want to live next? What parts of stigma am I ready to stop carrying? How would I act if society fully accepted my stuttering?

to therapy and walk participants through what actually goes on in the therapy room and ways for parents to support the therapeutic process. Time will be provided for Q and A.

Do you want to learn to develop somatic awareness, and nervous system regulation in order to increase your capacity to stay present and supportive? This workshop will provide an understanding of the role Emotional Intelligence and Somatic Awareness play in caregiving and receiving, as well as provide tools, insights, and techniques rooted in neuroscience and somatic psychology.

reduce shame, and build positive associations with the voice.

Goal: To explore self-expression, reduce fear of using the voice, and create positive, playful experiences with speaking and sound.

something that actually puts us at ease — drawing on real stories and opening lines that broke the ice. Part lived experience, part creative workshopping, you’ll leave with a toolkit of self-disclosures that feel like you, and a room full of people who get why, occasionally, stuttering can be genuinely, a little funny.

face fear, process shame, and sit with difficult emotions. We will discuss what it truly means to build a rich therapeutic relationship with clients and how to help PWS face fear and share more fully by approaching underlying thoughts and feelings. Therapists will leave with greater comfort and confidence in counseling related to stuttering.

and creative writing games, we’ll get to know each other and explore our stutters in a whole new way, writing and sharing our own creative pieces. For instance, we’ll write acrostic poems (poems in which the first letter of each line spells out a word when read vertically), composing poems about our names and other words. No creative-writing experience necessary!

Through deep listening practices, participants will engage with the Library of Dysfluent Voices (a global collection of recordings from the stuttering community), field recordings of nature, and popular music that uses stuttering as creative material. We’ll translate what we hear into drawing and build a shared soundscape using live looping and audience participation. The session offers a welcoming space for listening, reflection, and reimagining the creative potential of stuttering.

Historically, line dancing has served as a way to bring people together, encourage play, laughter, and foster community through synchronized movements.

acceptance-based goals that support clients and families across school, medical, and private settings. We’ll focus on improving collaboration, communication, and writing goals that are both evidence-based and client-centered. This interactive session invites you to share questions and experiences with our ultimate goal to better help empower our clients who stutter.

Word choice can drive how the brain and body interact with the world. With brain plasticity on our side, we can harness this power and use it in our favor. Choose wisely and kindly to support a robust life that thrives.

with helping certain clients/students make progress, and we might be seeking some evidence-based ideas to bring more joy, purpose, and progress to our work with people who stutter. This workshop is designed to be a forum for SLPs to swap ideas to real-world challenges that arise in working with people who stutter. Topics incorporated will address interests of SLPs, such as paradoxes of stuttering, interoception, trauma, avoidance behaviors, goal writing, institutional barriers/challenges, acceptance commitment therapy, assessment, and more.

to enhance their ability to notice and describe their body signals and emotions so they can stutter more freely and openly and advocate more assertively for their communication needs.

Through guided discussion and a hands-on craft activity, attendees will reflect on personal fears—especially around speaking—and transform them into a visual ‘cage,’ alongside creating paper ‘birds’ that represent love, hope, and desire. Participants can expect meaningful reflection, creative expression, and practical tools to re-frame challenges. They will leave with a tangible reminder to make choices guided by love rather than fear.

people who stutter teach one another? Two leaders from different generations will help us explore this in a fun, interactive way.

impact on working with clients who stutter. This workshop will also provide SLPs with techniques to help them engage their clients, improve their listening skills, and manage the intense affect that often arises in treatment.