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Saturday, November 2nd, 2024

University of Vermont
Rowell Hall
106 Carrigan Drive Burlington, VT 05452

Join us on Saturday on Saturday, November 2nd, 2024, at the University of Vermont in Burlington, VT for a one-day event designed for adults, families, and speech-language pathologists (SLPs). This event offers valuable insights, support, and resources for the stuttering community, providing a space for learning, connection, and growth.

This is a unique opportunity for people who stutter of all ages, along with their families and friends, to come together to reflect on how we can make room for stuttering in our lives. The day will be filled with opportunities to connect with others, have fun, and explore the many dimensions of stuttering. There will be workshops specifically tailored to kids (7-12) and teens (13-17), adults who stutter, and family and friends of people who stutter (such as parents and significant others). There will also be workshops specifically tailored for SLPs, providing the opportunity to earn 0.35 ASHA CEUs and deepen their knowledge of stuttering and treatment strategies.
 

Coffee, snacks, and lunch will be provided.

Day At A Glance

Kids/Teens Workshops

Get into the Rhythm

Start the day by breaking the ice and
learn to express yourself through music.

(Cam Mincar)

Stuttering Jeopardy

Show off your knowledge and learn some things you may not know about stuttering.

(Sullivan Kiley, M.S. CCC-SLP)

This is What My
Stutter Looks Like

Put your creativity to the test and make a piece of art that resembles your stuttering.

(Sullivan Kiley, M.S. CCC-SLP)

Adult Workshops

Making Room for
Stuttering

Explore what it means to make room for stuttering in your life and connect with other people who stutter.

(David Conner)

Stuttering in the Workplace

Discover how stuttering can be an advantage in the workplace. It helps forge authenticity, which fosters relationship building, collaboration, creativity and an improved bottom line.

(Pamela Mertz)

Voice Activated
Screening & Discussion

Watch this short comedy that gives a snapshot into one man’s experiences with stuttering in a fast-paced world and take time for discussion.

(Pamela Mertz)

Family/Friend Workshops

It REALLY is Okay to Stutter!

Dive in to discover the meaning of stuttering, debunk common myths, and challenge societal expectations for people who stutter.

(Sullivan Kiley, M.S. CCC-SLP)

Navigating the Journey of Supporting Someone who Stutters

Join us for a compassionate and insightful conversation as we unravel the layers of grief and stuttering, ultimately empowering individuals to embrace their experiences and find strength in their journey towards acceptance.

(Nicole Kulmaczewski, M.S. CCC-SLP)

Voice Activated Screening, Discussion & Listening to their Voices

Gain a window into one man’s experiences with stuttering in a fast-paced world followed by a brief discussion and then move into a panel of people who stutter to hear their stories.

(Sam King & Barbara Limoge-King)

SLP Workshops

*SLPs earn 0.35 ASHA CEUs

Bringing Humanity Back to the Therapy Room

Discuss the SLP’s role in counseling and what counseling should look like, while embracing new approaches to make a more profound impact on our clients.

(Nicole Kulmaczewski, M.S. CCC-SLP)

What We Wish They Knew

Listen to different people who stutter share their experiences in speech therapy and navigating life as a person who stutters.

(Dr. Danra Kazenski, CCC-SLP)

Beyond the Basics: Unveiling Hidden Gems in Stuttering and Cluttering Assessment and Therapy

Join us to move beyond the basics to explore ARTS (Avoidance Reduction Therapy for Stuttering), Cluttering assessment and treatment, atypical disfluencies and narrative therapy for stuttering.

(Dr. Danra Kazenski, CCC-SLP)

(CEU descriptions cont.)

Bringing Humanity Back to the Therapy Room

Nicole Kulmaczewski, M.S. CCC-SLP
 

This session will discuss what our role is in counseling, as well as what counseling should look like. We are two humans in a therapy room talking about a heavy, life-altering variation of speech. We will be letting go of everything we know about counseling within our field and embracing a new approach of letting go and doing less - making a more profound impact on our clients. We will see what happens when we let our clients take the wheel and we can sit in the passenger seat for a while.


Agenda:

  • ASHA Scope of Practice - Counseling

  • Redefining our Roles as Professionals

  • The Power of Silence

  • Grief and Permission to Feel

  • Q&A

What We Wish They Knew - Panel of People who Stutter

Dr. Danra Kazenski, CCC-SLP

 

There is so much that we as Speech Language Pathologists can learn from engaging with people who stutter, who are truly experts in the lived experience of stuttering. In this panel-style workshop session, you will be able to listen to different people who stutter share their experiences in speech therapy and in navigating life as a person who stutters. Bring your questions and your natural curiosity and see what you can take away from this session to better relate to the people who stutter who you are treating.
 

Agenda:

  • Introductions

  • Q&A

Beyond the Basics: Unveiling Hidden Gems in Stuttering and Cluttering Assessment and Therapy

Dr. Danra Kazenski, CCC-SLP

 

Join us to move beyond the basics to explore hidden gems in stuttering and cluttering assessment and therapy. We will identify the core tenets of Avoidance Reduction Therapy for Stuttering as applied in group adult therapy and with school-age children who stutter (ARTS). We will work to understand the basic fundamental principles and techniques involved in the assessment and treatment of cluttering, including identifying key symptoms and designing appropriate intervention strategies. We will learn one method to identify and treat atypical disfluencies (e.g., word-final and mid-word disfluencies). We will also identify how to use narrative therapy (i.e., drawing and naming the stutter as a character) as a treatment approach for stuttering.
 

Agenda:

  • Introduction/Overview

  • ARTS (Avoidance Reduction Therapy for Stuttering)

  • Cluttering Assessment and Treatment Basics

  • Atypical Disfluencies (word-final, mid-word, etc.)

  • Narrative Therapy for Stuttering

  • Q&A

Presenter Bios

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Danra Kazenski

Dr. Danra Kazenski, CCC-SLP, is a Clinical Associate Professor in Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Vermont, owner of Vermont Stuttering Therapy, and Co-Chapter Leader of the Vermont Chapters of the National Stuttering Association (NSA) Support Groups. 

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Sam

King

Sam King is a recent graduate of The University of Maine and a Speech Language Pathologist Assistant in Orleans County, Vermont. As a person who stutters, Sam’s early interest in speech impairments led him to study Communication Sciences and Disorders. After serving six years in the US Air Force, Sam was ultimately able to fulfill his aspiration of becoming a speech therapist. Prior to becoming a therapist himself, Sam received therapy for two years. Some of his interests include playing golf and riding motorcycles.

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Nicole Kulmaczewski

Nicole Kulmaczewski, M.S. CCC-SLP, is a speech therapist working in the Hudson Valley in New York. She is a stuttering ally and practices with a stutter-affirming treatment style. She is a co-founder of Myspeech- a stuttering non-profit organization providing scholarships for people who stutter to be able to afford speech therapy as well as serves on the board of Stamily- an international stuttering non-profit. 

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Cam

Mincar

Cam Mincar is a recent graphic design graduate of Champlain College who lives in Burlington, Vermont. He is a person who stutters, an artist, and a guitar player for a local band. He likes to be outside, ski, and skateboard. 

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Pamela

Mertz

Pamela Mertz has been an active member of the NSA and stuttering community at large for many years. She is an advocate and champion for women who stutter, as evidenced by her popular podcast "Women Who Stutter: Our Stories." Pam has served on the Boards of both the NSA and the International Stuttering Association. She was inducted into the NSA Hall of Fame in 2022.

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Sullivan

Kiley

Sullivan Kiley, M.S. CCC-SLP, is a Speech-Language Pathologist in Vermont and a candidate for Board Certified Specialty in Stuttering, Cluttering, and Fluency Disorders (BCS-SCF).  He owns Northern Pine Speech Therapy, which focuses on working with people who stutter. Sully is a Spero Stuttering Ally and presently co-leads the NSA Vermont Kids and Teens Chapters in Burlington, Vermont.

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Barbara Limoge-King

Barbara Limoge-King was born and raised in Burlington, Vermont and is a UVM graduate. She has a son (Sam) who stutters, and she and her husband Bill have two other adult children. Barb and her family own and operate the Barton Golf Club - an 18 hole golf course where their two poodles (Divot and Birdie) roam freely. Barb also works in the guidance office at her local high school. Her interests include reading, traveling, golfing, and spending time with family and friends.

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David

Conner

David Conner is a Person Who Stutters, a proud father of three and Professor of Community Development and Applied Economics at the University of Vermont (UVM). David grew up in Pennsylvania but has called Vermont home for the last 14 years. David loves the outdoors (especially hiking and camping), dogs, UVM men's and women's basketball and locally grown food.

Questions?

Contact Sarah Onofri, Event & Programming Coordinator at sarahonofri@westutter.org.

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