McGuire programme
The McGuire Programme is a stammering treatment programme/course run by people who stammer which teaches the use of costal breathing (also known as diaphragmatic breathing), self acceptance as a person who stammers and elements of sport psychology. All methods are taught to control stammering with the aim being controlled speech. There is no cure for stammering and the McGuire Programme does not claim to be a cure, instead it purports to offer a viable therapy option.
The McGuire Programme was founded in 1994 by Dave McGuire, himself a person who stammers. Dave brought different therapy options (including the technique taught by the Del Ferro Institute in Amsterdam where the application of diaphragmatic breathing to stammering was first developed) together and combined them with his background in sport psychology. The courses follow a rigorous 3 or 4 day residential set up and all people on the course are people who stutter. The McGuire Programme has a substantial after support network with experienced graduates available in many regions of the world to help support new graduates of the programme.
The programme's best known graduate to-date is the British singer Gareth Gates who has regularly promoted the course during TV interviews in the UK and Ireland. Also Graeme Duffin, lead guitarist of the band Wet Wet Wet joined the programme and Scottish international rugby union captain, Kelly Brown, is another graduate of the course. Adam Black, a graduate of the course is a finalist in The National Diversity Awards, a prestigious event, where his work raising awareness of stammering has been recognised. [1]
References
- ↑ Dirs, Ben (5 February 2014). "Scotland captain Kelly Brown tackling his stammer head on". BBC News. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
