McGuire programme

The McGuire Programme is a stammering treatment programme/course run for people who stammer by people who stammer.

The McGuire Programme teaches the use of costal breathing (also known as diaphragmatic breathing), assertive self acceptance as a person who stammers, non avoidance methods, block modification techniques and sports psychology. All methods are taught to control stammering behaviours with the aim being controlled speech and not fluency. There is no cure for stammering and the McGuire Programme does not claim to be a cure, instead offering a viable therapy option.

The McGuire Programme was founded in 1994 by Dave McGuire, himself a person who stammers. He brought different therapy options together, namely non avoidance and a form of Diaphragmatic breathing, 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 stammer-this is a unique and key aspect of the course as members believe that advice is a form of nostalgia. No professional Speech and language therapists are employed by the McGuire Programme although many support the programme and give their own time to do so.


The McGuire Programme has a substantial after support network with experienced graduates available in many regions of the world to help support all graduates of the programme. The support network exists on the telephone, on Skype and in local communities where members meet on a fortnightly or monthly basis to practice techniques.

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[1][2][3], a graduate of the course, received a BEM (British Empire Medal) in the 2019 New Year Honours list where his work raising awareness [4]of stammering has been recognised. [5]

References
  1. "Primary school teacher Adam Black tells how McGuire Programme helped him overcome stammer and land his dream job | The McGuire Programme". www.mcguireprogramme.com. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
  2. "Adam Black can't hide his stutter". BBC News. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
  3. "New Year Honours: 'I thought it was a tax return'". 2018-12-29. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
  4. McDonald, Sally (2016-03-28). "Man learns to control his stutter to fulfil his dream of being a teacher". Sunday Post. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
  5. Dirs, Ben (5 February 2014). "Scotland captain Kelly Brown tackling his stammer head on". BBC News. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
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