The innovative, 12-day stuttering therapy program at nonprofit Hollins Communications Research Institute is transforming the lives of people who stutter and opening doors of opportunity through fluency that were never before possible.

Alan Tonelson of Riverdale Park, Md. began stuttering as a young child. While most kids outgrow the inhibiting speech condition by the age of eight, Tonelson did not. He is among the three million people in the U.S. who live with stuttering, which can range from mild to severe. Throughout his youth, he participated in a variety of speech therapies, including attending in-school speech sessions and visits with private speech-and-language pathologists. None helped him achieve fluency.

Shannon Armes of Wilsons, VA had a similar experience. She started stuttering in grade school. After trying a range of treatment approaches, fluent speech continued to elude her. As she entered college and into adulthood, Armes’s stuttering eroded her self confidence. Her speech condition served as a constant barrier to educational, career and social opportunities.

Yet, the lives of Tonelson and Armes would soon change when they learned about an advanced, behavioral treatment for stuttering, developed at nonprofit Hollins Communications Research Institute (HCRI https://www.stuttering.org) in Roanoke, VA.

Created by stuttering expert and HCRI Founder Ronald L. Webster, Ph.D., HCRI stuttering therapy is an intensive, 12-day treatment program that is grounded in science and continually refined, based on research with thousands of stuttering cases. The centers clinicians utilize detailed behavioral therapy protocols and advanced technology to teach people how to replace abnormal muscle contractions that cause stuttering with specific, new muscle movements that generate fluent speech.

Our early research revealed that stuttering is physical. The repetitions, prolongations and voice blockages that we label as stuttering are caused before a sound is ever spoken, Webster said. To provide effective treatment, at HCRI we focus where the problem occurs, which is at the muscular level.

Research shows that 93% of HCRI therapy participants achieve fluency in 12 days and 70-75% maintain fluent speech when evaluated one and two years post treatment.

According to Webster who is also a clinical psychologist, HCRIs approach to stuttering treatment is a systematic, step-by-step process that is analogous to the precision of a finely choreographed ballet. Each step in the process is critical and must be exact to enable success.

Tonelson noted, I attended HCRI stuttering therapy and saw a dramatic increase in my fluency. The therapy did its job. Yet for treatment to work over time, I continue to practice my speech skills on a regular basis.

While Tonelson began his career as a journalist, his ability to speak fluently opened significant doors of opportunity. Today, he is a well-known and respected expert on economic and globalization policy. He regularly appears on national television and radio programs to offer commentary and debate with other policy analysts.

In addition, he gives presentations to universities, government agencies, and business organizations around the globe. His book, The Race to Bottom, and blog, RealityChek (https://alantonelson.wordpress.com), feature his perspectives on economics, foreign policy, and politics that he has passionately voiced throughout his professional life. Tonelson says HCRI was a game changer for his career.

For Armes, the fluency skills learned at HCRI enabled her to take on key leadership roles within her community, secure a coveted promotion in customer service with her company, and win highly competitive Toastmasters International speaking awards.

With her impressive communication and strong management abilities, Armes is now president of her area’s Motivational Toastmasters Club and serves as an area governor overseeing five other Toastmasters International clubs in the Richmond, Va. area.

Yet, reciting her wedding vows without stuttering was among the greatest gifts she experienced from fluency.

Learning to speak fluently whenever and wherever I choose has changed my life. HCRI’s rigorous fluency training was hard work and it takes daily practice. Though, the therapy made a remarkable difference in what I can do every day, she said.

Tonelson and Armes are among the 6,300 people from 48 countries who have participated in HCRI stuttering therapy. Most program participants tried other stuttering treatments before coming to HCRI for stuttering help.

About HCRI
Hollins Communications Research Institute was founded by Ronald L Webster, Ph.D. in 1972 to investigate stuttering through scientific discovery and treatment innovation. Virginia-based HCRI, a 501 (c) (3) charitable organization, has become an international leader in stuttering research and the development of innovative, scientifically derived therapy approaches.

Clients come from all walks of life and include broadcaster John Stossel of Fox News; Annie Glenn, wife of Senator and Astronaut John Glenn; as well as athletes, teachers, engineers, students, doctors, military personnel, a supreme court nominee, business professionals, police officers, actors, and even royalty.

HCRI is located at 7851 Enon Drive, Roanoke, Va. 24019. For more information, visit https://www.stuttering.org or contact HCRI by calling toll-free (540) 265-5650.

Meeting with clients, arguing cases in court, and making scores of phone calls represent a typical day’s work for public defenders. Yet, for attorney Christopher Missiaen of Medford, Oregon, these communication tasks are activities he never takes for granted. Missiaen has a stuttering condition that makes it difficult for him to get his words to flow smoothly and spontaneously.

The successful defense attorney is one of three million people in the U.S. and 66 million globally who stutter. The condition occurs when speech muscles inappropriately contract and jump out of control during attempts to speak. Stuttering ranges in severity and has the potential to serves as a barrier to people reaching their full potential in life.

However, observing Missiaen’s powerful closing argument in a recent high-profile Oregon murder trial, no one would know he has endured stuttering since his youth.

Unlike many people who stutter, Missiaen’s speech condition didn’t get in the way of his education or social life, as he was growing up. He was highly determined and learned how to “accommodate” his speech by replacing words and avoiding certain speaking situations.

When he graduated from University of Oregon School of Law in 2005, he landed a position as a personal injury attorney. Missiaen’s days were spent talking with clients, making calls, and doing public speaking. The techniques he previously used to mask his stuttering, including word substitution, were no longer working for him.

“With the law, you can’t replace one word with a different one simply because you are having trouble saying it,” Missiaen said. “I found myself unable to say things I needed to say.”

As a result, Missiaen grew increasingly concerned about his stuttering. He felt his speech was being misperceived and undermined his effectiveness in his job. “A lot of my disfluencies are blockages where I can’t get a particular word to come out when I’m trying to speak. It looks to outside observers that I can’t figure out what I want to say,” he explained.

Compounding his concern and frustration, Missiaen also had ambitions to become a public defender, a role requiring eloquent, persuasive speaking abilities in court. He knew it was time to address his speech disorder if he was going to succeed as a courtroom attorney.

Then, he read about Hollins Communications Research Institute (HCRI) in a book written by broadcast journalist John Stossel, who overcame an inhibiting stuttering condition by participating in HCRI’s intensive stuttering therapy program. Missiaen was intrigued and reviewed information on the internet about the Roanoke, Virginia-based program.

He learned that HCRI treats stuttering as a physical disorder. Therapy involves teaching people how to replace faulty speech muscle movements that cause stuttering with new muscle behaviors that generate fluency. After reading through HCRI’s website, www.stuttering.org, Missiaen enrolled in the Institute’s 12-day therapy program.

During treatment, Missiaen learned new ways to use his speech muscles to bring his stuttering under his control. He spent 100 hours in therapy, which also included learning how to transfer his new speaking skills to real-world situations. By the end of his two-week program, he spoke fluently for the first time in his life. In addition, Missiaen acquired tools to maintain his fluency over time.

According to HCRI’s Webster, “Our approach to stuttering therapy is objective, comprehensive, and results driven. No other stuttering treatment replicates the sophistication of HCRI’s treatment program or the individualized approach from which clients benefit.”

Research shows 93 percent of HCRI therapy program participants achieve fluent speech by the end of their 12-day treatment program. Follow-up studies indicate that 70 to 75 percent of people maintain fluency for the long term. HCRI researchers continually refine the Institute’s stuttering therapy, based on research and experience with thousands of cases that range from mild stuttering to severe speech impairments.

“Without HCRI therapy, I could not talk to my clients or be effective in court. There are still times when I stumble on words; but, HCRI’s tools help me get through that,” Missiaen added. To maintain his fluency, the public defender practices regularly and maintains ongoing contact with his clinical team at HCRI.

HCRI clinicians have treated more than 6,000 people, aged 9 to 73, from across the U.S. and 47 other countries. For more information, visit www.stuttering.org or contact HCRI at call (540) 265-5650 (toll-free), 540-265-5650 or admin@stuttering.org.

HCRI stuttering therapy enabled Major C. Mark Brown, Salvation Army chief development officer, to effectively advance the organization’s mission.

The Salvation Army’s red kettles and bell ringers have become icons of the holiday season, as the nearly 150-year-old organization seeks donations from retail shoppers to support its social-aid and disaster-relief services that benefit nearly 30 million people across the country.

Behind the seasonal red-kettle program, as well as The Salvation Army’s other key development initiatives, is an administrative organization of officers, employees, and volunteers. These individuals spend each day creating awareness and appealing for donations to support the year-round work of the second largest charity in the U.S.

Asking for support is a responsibility that Major C. Mark Brown is proud to do. He serves as The Salvation Army’s chief development officer for the Atlanta-based Southern Region, which is comprised of 15 states. After more than 30 years with The Salvation Army, Brown has seen first-hand the results of the organization’s charitable work that extends across the U.S. and to 123 other countries.

Yet, even with his tenure and commitment to The Salvation Army, Brown finds it a challenge to make presentations and ask for financial assistance. It’s not because he is shy or hesitant to request money for his worthy cause. It’s because Brown stutters when he talks and has endured this limiting condition for all of his life.

Brown is not alone. According the National Institutes of Health, an estimated 66 million people worldwide suffer from the effects of stuttering, with three million living in the U.S. The condition can impair social growth, hinder educational and career aspirations, and produce emotional scars that may last a lifetime. For someone who is required to do public speaking, meet with donors and the media, and manage a large team, Brown knows all too well stuttering’s pervasive impact.

“Stuttering is always on my mind. At the same time, I’ve always been determined never to allow the way I talk to stop me from doing what I want to do in life,” Brown said. “Most important, I never want the way I speak to reflect negatively on The Salvation Army and the great work we do,” he explained.

Brown’s motivation and commitment to The Salvation Army drove him to seek treatment about 15 years ago at Hollins Communications Research Institute (HCRI – https://www.stuttering.org) , a non-profit stuttering research and treatment center. Roanoke, Virginia-based HCRI is a pioneer in behavioral stuttering therapy with experience in a wide range of stuttering types and severities. During his intensive treatment, Brown learned how to replace faulty muscle contractions that cause stuttering with new muscle movements that enable fluent speech.

“HCRI really understands what goes wrong with speech when people stutter – and how to fix it. This puts people in control when they talk without resorting to a mechanical or electronic crutch,” Brown explained. “It was the first therapy that worked for me. It was a true gift.”

According to HCRI President Ronald L. Webster, Ph.D., there is no cure for stuttering. “Yet, after researching thousands of stuttering cases, we developed and continually refine a physically based treatment system that helps clients like Mark reconstruct muscle actions that drive movements of the tongue, lip, jaw, and vocal folds to enable fluent speech.”

To help clients maintain long-term fluency, HCRI provides ongoing clinician support, refresher courses, annual reunions, and a range of fluency practice tools, including the center’s web-based software program and a proprietary app that runs on iPhones, iPod Touches, and iPads. Brown uses these tools and returns to HCRI every 3 to 5 years to keep his stuttering in check.

With HCRI stuttering therapy, Brown performs his Salvation Army responsibilities with greater confidence and effectiveness. He works continually to manage his stuttering. “I now have the tools I need to maintain fluency for the long term. Best of all, I am better able to fulfill the mission of The Salvation Army. The ability to speak fluently is a joy and a gift.”

So during the holiday season, when The Salvation Army red kettle serves as a beacon of hope for rebuilding lives, Brown uses his fluent speech to remind people to give generously to help those in need. According to Brown, gifts come in all forms and sizes – and can make a year-round impact. He knows. He uses his “gift of fluency” every day to make lives better for others.

About HCRI

Hollins Communications Research Institute was founded by Ronald L. Webster, Ph.D. in 1972 to investigate stuttering through scientific discovery and treatment innovation. Under Dr. Webster’s direction, Roanoke, Virginia-based HCRI, a 501 (c) (3) charitable organization, has become an international leader in stuttering research and the development of innovative, scientifically based therapy approaches.

The Institute offers 17 stuttering therapy programs annually, each of which lasts 12 days. HCRI clinicians have treated more than 6,000 people, aged 9 to 73, from across the U.S. and 47 other countries. Clients come from all walks of life and include broadcaster John Stossel of Fox News; Annie Glenn, wife of Senator and Astronaut John Glenn; as well as athletes, teachers, engineers, students, doctors, military personnel, a supreme court nominee, business professionals, police officers, actors, and even royalty. For more information about HCRI, visit www.stuttering.org or contact HCRI at (540) 265-5650 (toll-free), 540-265-5650, or admin@stuttering.org.

About The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church established in 1865, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination for more than 130 years in the United States. Nearly 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through the broadest array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children. Eighty-two cents of every dollar spent is used to support those services in 5,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to www.salvationarmyusa.org.