Adventures in disclosure: The Tell, The Throw and The Catch

Disclosure is consciously telling or letting someone else know something about you. Disclosure of stammering is often a tricky subject. Many people find disclosure difficult and, although the rewards can sometimes be great, the reality is that disclosure often goes wrong. In this 60-minute session, we’ll introduce The Tell, The Throw and The Catch, which is a new framework for thinking about disclosure. It can support people who stammer in making informed choices about whether they want to disclose or not, the pros and cons of different methods of disclosure, and how to respond if and when it doesn’t go to plan. Packed with real-life examples from people who stammer, this framework is easy to grasp and start using in your work with people who stammer straight away! 

Speakers:

Kirsten: I stammer, I talk about stammering for a living, and I’m endlessly fascinated by the varied and thoughtful ways people navigate it. I’m a speech & language therapist, a longtime STAMMA fan (volunteer →  staff → support-service and workshop wrangler), and I get a front-row seat to life with a stammer from a range of perspectives every day. My job involves working with and learning from teams of brilliant, dedicated volunteers. Together we try to make a difference for people who stammer.

Jack: I stammer, regularly revisiting my five stages of dysfluency:  anger, denial, avoidance, rebellion and intermittent acceptance. I volunteer on STAMMA’s helpline and employment services, the book review team, and a group reimagining ‘disclosure’. I also write, often questioning perceptions of fluency. I am a slow trail runner, slow thinker and slow reader who still tries to talk too quickly. I believe in the magic of words and our right to use them on our own terms, in our own time.

Clara: Bio to follow.