The PATMAR Programme for Adults who Stammer

Patrick Kelly and Maria T. McDonnell

This eight-day intensive residential group course (and three-day follow-up) offers a new departure in adult stammering therapy. Continuously evolving since its inception in 1998, PATMAR holds that only through reducing sensitivity to and gaining acceptance of the stammer, can control of the stammer be maintained in the long-term. Tenets from Sheehan (1972) and Van Riper (1973) form underlying principles. The complex interplay of personality, life experience and family dynamics for each individual is a key consideration within the group. Family involvement is central in this therapy process, as individuals learn coping strategies for long-term acceptance and control of their stammers.