What does help for stuttering cost?

The cost of a speech therapist: why you rarely find one figure

The cost of a speech and language therapist depends on whether you go through a public service or privately, and on how many sessions you need. Private therapists set their own prices, and they vary. That's why we don't quote amounts for anyone but ourselves. We don't know them well enough to vouch for them, and a wrong figure doesn't help you.

What we can give you is the questions that bring the price out, and our own price, which you'll find further down. If you're not sure what kind of help you're looking for, start with our comparison of a speech and language therapist for adults and a stuttering course.

Public services for adults

What is publicly available, and what it costs you, depends on the country you live in. In Denmark, for example, adults can get free stuttering therapy through their municipality. Services are set up differently from place to place, so contact your GP or your local speech and language therapy service and get answers to three things:

• What do you offer adults who stutter, and what does it cost?
• What does therapy with you involve, and how many sessions does it typically last?
• Is there a waiting list, and how long is it?

Ask, too, whether the therapist has experience of stuttering in adults. That phone call can be hard to make when you stutter. It's fine to write instead.

Private therapist: ask for the price per session and the number of sessions

With a private speech and language therapist you typically pay for each session. So the price per session only tells you half the story. What you really need to know is the price per session multiplied by the number of sessions the therapy is expected to take.

Ask these questions before you say yes:

• What does one session cost, and how long does it last?
• How many sessions do you expect me to need?
• Does the first appointment cost the same as the rest?
• What happens if I have to cancel?
• How much experience do you have with adults who stutter?
• Can I contact you between sessions, and what happens when the therapy is over?

A serious therapist will be happy to answer. Nobody can say exactly how many sessions you'll need, but you should be able to get an honest estimate. Ask to have the price and the expected number of sessions in writing.

What does a McGuire stuttering course cost?

A McGuire course costs DKK 18,000. It's a one-off payment, and it covers two things: the four-day course and lifelong support afterwards.

What you get for the money

• A four-day course from Thursday 08:00 to Sunday 14:00, with days of up to 16 hours.
• Teaching from instructors who all stutter themselves and have taken the course.
• The techniques costal breathing, Hit and Hold, Block release and deliberate dysfluency.
• Practice in real situations: on the phone, in the street and in a public speech in the city.
• Lifelong support and guidance, and a network of other people who stutter.

What you need to allow for yourself

The courses are held in Aarhus, Malmö and Oslo, so you need to add the cost of travel. The McGuire Programme also runs courses in other countries. The course begins on a Thursday, so most people need Thursday and Friday off work or school. Ask us what applies to accommodation and meals on the course you're looking at. If you'd like to know more about the days themselves, read about what a stuttering course is like.

Compare on more than price

A series of many short sessions and a course of four long days can't be compared on price alone. Look at three more things.

Time

How many hours do you get in total, and how are they spread out? Some people do best with a little at a time over a long period. Others need many hours in a row to break a habit. Count your own time as well: travel, days off and the practice you have to do yourself.

What's included

Do you only practise in a room, or do you also get out into the situations you avoid? Are you alone with a therapist, or do you meet other people who stutter? One isn't necessarily better than the other for you. But you should know what you're paying for.

Follow-up

Help for stuttering is rarely finished when the sessions end. New speech habits have to be maintained. So always ask what happens afterwards, and whether it costs extra.

How to compare two options

Write the answers down for each option, so you can put them side by side:

• Total price: everything added up, including what you have to pay for on top.
• Total time: hours of teaching and how long the whole thing runs.
• Experience: how much do they work with adults who stutter?
• Real situations: do you practise them, or do you talk about them?
• Afterwards: what support do you get, and for how long?

The cheapest option isn't always the one that costs you least. Help you never get any use out of is expensive, whatever it says on the invoice. Choose the one you believe you can stick with.

Start by asking

Asking about the price doesn't commit you to anything. Call or write to your local speech and language therapy service, to a private therapist and to us, and compare the answers. If you're still working out what you need, our guide to stuttering in adults gives you the big picture.

If you'd like to see dates and locations, you'll find the upcoming courses on the front page. You don't sign up online. You call or write, and we have a chat first.

Frequently asked questions