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From: Paul Goldstein
Date: 06 Oct 2011
Time: 08:09:42 -0500
Remote Name: 88.88.238.25
Hi, Bernie! It's great to hear from you. Thanks for your questions, and thanks so much for your nice compliments! Stuttering therapy in Norway is free of charge, through the Norwegian health system. Although I haven't had therapy myself in Norway, I have met or have been in touch with some of the leading logopeds [speech pathologists] in the country. My impression is that most Norwegian therapy for stuttering is based on traditional stuttering modification approaches combined with work on psychological self-acceptance. There is very little in the way of fluency shaping available in Norwegian speech therapy. However, many Norwegians who stutter have attended the McGuire Program, a form of fluency shaping, in most cases by travelling outside the country. I don't believe this therapy is covered by the Norwegian health system, but I'm not certain of that. The DAF SpeechEasy device is also free of charge in Norway, covered by the Norwegian health system if it is needed for either work or school. When I first came to Norway, there were many active stuttering self-help groups throughout the country, operating under the national Norwegian stuttering association, NIFS [Norsk Interesseforening for Stamme]. There was a local chapter in Bergen (the area in which I live), meeting once every two weeks in people's homes, a group which I attended for many years. Unfortunately this local group no longer exists, as many of the regular members have moved away. My understanding is that quite a few other local NIFS groups have also folded, for lack of organization. Perhaps these things go in cycles, and hopefully these self-help groups will be revived in the future. However, there is still plenty of activity on the national and regional levels. NIFS arranges a number of national gatherings each year. One of the most popular is an autumn weekend conference, which takes place each year in a different beautiful scenic area of Norway. These events include seminars and workshops, along with exploration and enjoyment of the natural beauty of the environment. NIFS also arranges other national gatherings for people who stutter with specific themes, such as practice in public speaking, particular approaches to stuttering therapy or self-therapy methods, or electronic devices. There are no transportation costs for anyone to attend national stuttering events in Norway; these costs are all reimbursed by NIFS (which receives governmental support). Registration fees are minimal, and include all meals. There is also a popular regional Nordic Conference for people who stutter, the hosting country of which rotates among Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland. These events very much remind me of NSA conventions in the U.S., but they are more international, and at the same time on a smaller scale. Both the national NIFS events and the Nordic Conferences are great fun, very stimulating, and are full of wonderful camaraderie - in the same way as are NSA conventions in the U.S. I miss the NSA conventions too! Perhaps Liv and I will come back to attend some soon - you never know. During the last decade I've attended a number of SpeakEasy symposia in New Jersey, so on occasion I still attend stuttering conferences in the U.S.