Award-winning stammering therapy in London.
City Lit Speech Therapy is an international centre of excellence based in London. Our team of highly experienced specialist speech and language therapists lead a broad range of stammering therapy sessions, including intensive day-time sessions, and part-time evening/short stammering therapy workshops in Covent Garden, as well as a well providing a developed follow-up programme for ongoing support.
Running out of our centre of excellence in London. We have over 50 years’ experience in providing support for adults who stammer. Email us at speechtherapy@citylit.ac.uk to arrange an advisory session - this personal and free service will help you choose the right therapy for you.
Our approach
Our approach at City Lit is what is known as "stammering management" and is based on the work of two American speech and language therapists who also stammered, Charles Van Riper and Joseph Sheehan.
You enrol as students who engage in a process of learning. We believe that this encourages an active approach to change which is essential to successful stammering therapy.
Offering you the tools you need for long term change.
We believe it is important that you become your own therapist, so that by the end of a course they have a variety of tools for managing stammering.
Unlike some other stuttering therapy programmes, our therapy is not a 'quick fix'. Whilst it is possible to gain fluency relatively quickly, it is usually hard to maintain unless work is done also on the psychological aspects of stammering.
Addressing the psychological aspects of stuttering.
People who stammer often avoid speaking in a number of situations and often change words or swap sentences around in a bid to avoid stammering. As a rule, the more you avoid stammering, the more you fear it.
Stuttering behaviours may develop and change over time in an attempt to gain control of speech, but often this can result in increased tension-struggle.
Our approach to therapy is holistic and is designed to address all aspects of stammering - the feelings and attitudes as well as the speech - leading to more lasting change. We believe that trying to 'fight' your stammering is unhelpful and can be damaging in the long run.
Working on acceptance and openness leads to greater ease of speech.
Change is a process and takes time. Therapy is a partnership, but ultimately people only change by doing something different, not just by thinking or reading about it. Group therapy is often particularly beneficial.
Our Speech and Language Therapists
If you're looking for a speech therapist in London, our team of experienced Speech and Language Therapists have over 50 years’ experience in providing stammering therapy and support for adults who stammer or stutter. We offer a broad range of stammering therapy sessions delivered in small groups by qualified speech therapists. Learn more about our team below.
Carolyn Cheasman BSc (Hons) Reg MRCSLT, HCPC Registered
Carolyn has worked as a speech and language therapist with adults who stammer since 1979. She stammers herself and prior to training as a therapist attended an intensive course at City Lit which she describes as a 'life-changing event'. Carolyn has a particular interest in interiorised stammering. As part of her work she has undertaken considerable counselling training.
Vivien Grant-Jones
Vivien has been a part-time tutor for City Lit since 2009. In 2023 she gained the opportunity to be a Co-ordinating Tutor at City Lit. Vivien does not stammer herself but does experience cluttering (as part of her dyslexia). She has had a varied, diverse and creative career so far, the central thread being a personal and passionate pursuit to understand our individual and cultural relationship with fluency.
Anita McKiernan BSc, MSc, Dip Coaching, Dip Counselling Skills, MRCSLT, MASLTIP, HCPC Registered.
Anita is a Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist who joined City Lit as a part-time tutor in January 2019.
Anita works as an independent speech and language therapist with children, young people and adults with needs such as, Selective Mutism, Stammering, Voice Disorders, Autism and Speech and Language difficulties. She spent several years working in the NHS, in clinical, supervisory and leadership roles.
Rachel Everard BA (Hons) MSc Reg MRCSLT
Rachel has stammered herself since a very early age and originally came to City Lit as a client in the early 1990s. Her experience of therapy and meeting other people who stammer was a turning-point in her life. She decided to change career and train as a speech and language therapist, she became involved in the British Stammering Association and her personal identity changed as she began to accept herself as somebody who stammers.
Prior to joining the City Lit speech therapy team in 2001, Rachel worked as a speech and language therapist with children with a range of communication difficulties in community clinics, mainstream primary schools and at the Michael Palin Centre for Stammering Children.
Contact us
For general enquiries please contact us on 020 4582 0419 or email us at speechtherapy@citylit.ac.uk
Email our team directly
Carolyn Cheasman - carolyn.cheasman@citylit.ac.uk
Vivien Grant-Jones - vivien.grant-jones@citylit.ac.uk
16 courses available
- Stage 1 stammering therapy
Learn strategies to help you speak more easily. You'll also work on becoming less sensitive about stammering, reducing avoidance strategies and developing self confidence. Designed specifically for people who stammer /stutter.
Full fee £279.00 Senior fee £195.00 Concession £56.00 - Full fee £279.00 Senior fee £195.00 Concession £56.00
- Public speaking for people who stammerSpeaking in front of a group can often feel daunting. This course will give you lots of opportunities to practise speaking in front of a supportive group. Discover your own unique power, confidence and speaking style and learn how to connect with your listeners. Develop strategies for managing your nerves before and during public speaking tasks. Get supportive and constructive feedback from the group and course tutor.
Specifically for people who stammer/stutter or clutter.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £90.00 Concession £26.00 
Refresh, revise stammering therapyIn a supportive group you will work on desensitisation and practise your stammering management strategies. Become more confident by learning how to problem solve and extend your comfort zone.Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £20.00- Working with adults who stammer: a course for speech and language therapists
Designed for speech and language therapists, this four-day interactive workshop will cover assessment and selection, stammering modification, interiorised stammering, cluttering, acquired stammering and an introduction to mindfulness. Opportunity to practise teaching techniques to clients included.
Note: this course runs on these days: March 15-17; and an online follow-up day on October 4.Keeley Street
Mon 15 Mar 2027 (and 1 other date)Carolyn Cheasman, Rebecca Evans, Vivien Grant-JonesFull fee £649.00 Senior fee £649.00 Concession £649.00 - Effective counselling skills for speech and language therapistsDesigned for SLTs working with any client group, this interactive workshop will help you develop practical counselling skills. Topics include developing the therapeutic relationship, boundaries, ways of responding, paraphrasing, reflecting, questioning, immediacy, self disclosure and loss.Full fee £549.00 Senior fee £549.00 Concession £549.00
- Embodied voice for people who stammer
This course will provide you with skills to become knowledgeable about your own voice as an instrument. Through the work introduced you will gain insights into how you currently use and relate to your voice. The course will facilitate you to identify what you like about your voice and provide a safe place to play with possibilities. Getting to know your voice will be a creative process realised through engaging in experiential voice work.
Designed specifically for people who stammer/stutter. This course places no interest or importance on fluency. Instead, this course will introduce concepts and practical opportunities to cultivate skills to experience speaking in flow.
Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £41.00 Concession £12.00 - Speaking circle for people who stammer
Speaking circles are a powerful and unique way to work on becoming a more confident and effective speaker. They provide the opportunity to practise speaking to groups. Key components are being yourself, connecting with your audience and being fully listened to by a supportive group.
Keeley Street
Thu 14 Jan 2027Jenny YeatmanFull fee £69.00 Senior fee £48.00 Concession £14.00 - Embodied voice for people who (consistently or sometimes) speak too fastThis course will most benefit students who experience cluttering. Some features of cluttering are:
• Speaking quickly, often with rapid bursts of speech
• Some words being unclear or mis-pronounced
• Difficulties in explaining and conveying sequences of information
• Difficulties in being understood by the listener
Cluttering can be present as the only communication challenge or alongside stammering, dyslexia and/or ADHD (formal diagnosis is not required).
This course will provide you with skills to become more aware and knowledgeable of your voice and speech. The course will also explore ways to develop effective listening and communication strategies.Keeley Street
Wed 17 Feb 2027Vivien Grant-JonesFull fee £99.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £20.00 - Narrative therapy for speech and language therapistsThis workshop introduces you to the theory underpinning narrative ways of working. Learn about key narrative ideas and practices including: externalising, re authoring, listening for alternative storylines, and develop skills in narrative questioning. Relevant for therapists working with a range of client groups.
Keeley Street
Wed 17 Feb 2027Anita McKiernanFull fee £159.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £159.00 - Improvisation for people who stammerDevelop your spontaneous communication and expressiveness through Improvisation. Discover how to embrace more of your natural spontaneity and expressiveness, within a playful and supportive space. Discover more flow in communication with others and explore what helps you achieve this.
Keeley Street
Fri 16 Apr 2027Anita McKiernanFull fee £99.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £20.00 - Embodied voice for people who (sometimes or continuously) speak too fast
This course will most benefit students who experience cluttering. Some features of cluttering are: speaking quickly, often with rapid bursts of speech, some words being unclear or mis-pronounced, difficulties in explaining and conveying sequences of information, difficulties in being understood by the listener. Cluttering can be present as the only communication challenge or alongside stammering, dyslexia and/or ADHD (formal diagnosis is not required). This course will provide you with skills to become more aware and knowledgeable of your voice and speech.
Keeley Street
Fri 14 May 2027Vivien Grant-JonesFull fee £59.00 Senior fee £41.00 Concession £12.00 - Open StammeringBecome knowledgeable about your own voice as an instrument and gain insights into how you currently use and relate to it. Identify what you like about your voice in a safe place to play with possibilities. Get to know your voice through engaging in creative, experiential voice work.
Designed specifically for people who stammer/stutter, this course places no interest or importance on fluency. Instead, it will introduce concepts and practical opportunities to cultivate skills to experience speaking in flow.Keeley Street
Tue 18 May 2027Full fee £39.00 Senior fee £27.00 Concession £8.00 - Acceptance and commitment therapy for speech and language therapistsThe two major goals of ACT (a mindfulness-based approach) are acceptance of experience that is out of personal control and taking committed action towards living a valued life. On this worksh op you'll learn how this is achieved and ACT's relevance to speech and language therapy.
Keeley Street
Mon 24 May 2027Carolyn Cheasman, Rachel EverardFull fee £259.00 Senior fee £259.00 Concession £259.00 - Acting workshop for people who stammerA fun one-day intensive encounter with the acting process. Increase your confidence and discover your potential in a safe and supportive environment with other people who stammer.
Keeley Street
Sat 19 Jun 2027Laura BaggaleyFull fee £69.00 Senior fee £48.00 Concession £14.00
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