Speech/Language Therapy For Adults
If you or someone you love has suffered a stroke, or been diagnosed with a neurological difficulty, e.g. 
Parkinson’s Disease, Motor Neurone Disease, Brain Injury, Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA) or Multiple Sclerosis, you might be feeling scared, worried, anxious and stressed. If you have lost your ability to speak or understand, you will be experiencing a bewildering mix of emotions.
I specialise in communication difficulties arising from neurological disorders impacting speech (dysarthria/dyspraxia) and language (dysphasia).
I offer help and education to adults of all ages, with communication problems including issues with confidence, stammering, difficulty with presentation skills and making oneself understood.
As a Human Givens Therapist, I also specialise in supporting people whose life circumstances are causing emotional distress. Please see the Human Givens Counselling Therapy page, here
If you are deaf or hearing impaired and looking for support with your speech, I'd be delighted to help.
I have a specific interest in Functional Neurological Disorder. This perplexing and complex issue is one which needs time and a sympathetic attitude. This includes functional voice disorders. If you have already been assessed by an ENT specialist and they have reported that your vocal cords are free from disease, but you still struggle with your voice, please get in touch. I can also help if you have that awful 'lump in the throat' feeling, called Globus. I use a bio-psycho-social, holistic approach to help you understand the functioning of the mindbody. Please get in touch if your speech has been affected through FND and you would like support.
"From the first session I felt at ease and was well informed about what was occurring with my vocal cords. This information, alongside easily accessible breathing/vocal technique exercises really helped to boost my own confidence quickly. This allowed for quick progress as I felt in control and comfortable to address any queries also. Within three sessions, I have progressed further than I thought I would have in such a short time span, and am now able to return to work/socialise with no problems."
I provide the following services:
- Assessment (formal/informal, observation and discussion with client)
- Individual therapy sessions
- Education and advice
- Home programmes (as appropriate)
- Carer training
- Liaison with GP/nursing homes.
What To Expect
Appointments take place at Lismenary Therapy.
"Elizabeth at Lismenary Therapy is an excellent speech therapist who is genuine, caring, optimistic and extremely knowledgeable in her field. She is able to share her expertise in a warm, friendly way translating medical rhetoric into plain layman terms. The amount of time and effort put into the preparation of sessions is only exceeded by her patience and time during the sessions. For me personally, it was a relief to find someone to simply understand my condition and how I was feeling and was willing to take the time to help. Her encouragement and optimism helped me to improve my speech and also accept the condition that I had felt was impeding me in my everyday life. Her help was exceptional."
"Elizabeth is a Speech Therapist who is very caring, kind, genuine and compassionate. I also found her to be a very professional, supportive and convivial person who made my speech therapy sessions very enjoyable and rewarding. I have gained more confidence, and am now feeling more positive about my speech and my ability to communicate.
But, most of all, thanks to Elizabeth and her encouragement, I have learnt to accept and manage my condition. I now realise, that my future does not rest on the diagnosis I got last year, it’s not a worse life that I have now, but, its different! I will continue to accept it, manage it, and get on with living my life. "
"From a very thankful client that could not find her clear path in life to ease the pain until I gained the support from Elizabeth, I am forever grateful for helping me through this challenging passage in life and now I am smiling again.”
"Elizabeth was very friendly and professional. The overall impression is that she has got a vast and profound knowledge and a highly professional appearance. Also, the therapist was able to connect on a personal level. I would always recommend it!"
"I wanted to share with you that last week, I delivered two presentations to 400 staff. I thought of you and how couple of years ago I wouldn’t have been able to do that.
Thank you for giving me the confidence and to slow down my speech. One of the comments I got was ‘you’re a natural public speaker’!"
"Mum really enjoyed your session yesterday. I feel that not only the speech therapy is benefiting her, but the holistic approach you take with her really helps her confidence and addresses issues she perhaps doesn’t even realise are there. Thanks again for your ongoing help and support!"
Read more therapy stories here.
Once you contact me, I will normally offer you an appointment within 2 weeks.
To begin with, I will listen to you, gathering information and building a rapport to help you to relax and feel like talking freely. I will use conversation and observation, and formal tests if appropriate. When I get a feel for your difficulties and what ‘makes you tick’, I shall start to try out various therapy techniques to see what best suits you.
The session will last from 1 to 2 hours. Following this you will be given details of the assessment result and plans for speech and language therapy.
Therapy is normally offered in blocks of 6-10 weeks, with each weekly appointment lasting approximately 1 
hour. You can also book one session at a time, as required. Once a block of therapy is paid for, we can be flexible about when and where those appointments take place, according to your needs. We can arrange twice weekly or monthly sessions if that is required.
At Lismenary, speech and language therapy is eclectic, using methods from various different sources. Treatment plans are tailor made for each individual. My first priority is to form a strong rapport with you and your family, enable you to have a complete understanding of your difficulties and help you to enjoy the activities which are designed to incorporate your therapy targets.
The therapeutic process is dynamic and requires constant observation by the therapist, evolving and modifying the method according to the client’s response. Every week, I establish how far you can be encouraged to go and then give guidelines to you/your carers for home practice.
Family/carers are required to take part in the sessions, observing and learning the essential skills to ensure that speech/language targets are carried over into the home environment.
All I require from my clients is honesty about what they can realistically achieve. Practice is most useful when done for a 5-15 minutes, a few times a day. If you require set tasks, that’s fine. If you are unable to set aside time for home practice, I will offer suggestions about how your practice can be incorporated into your daily life –after all, speech and language is an essential part of every waking moment.
After a few sessions, you and I will review progress. We agree upon what basis we want to continue – keep going, have a break, meet less frequently, or end therapy. This might be because the treatment is complete with a good outcome, or maybe because therapy is no longer having the impact required by you.
Stammering is a complex communication difficulty. It's like an iceberg in that the obvious characteristics of dysfluent speech are the visible tip, and the emotional component (e.g. fear, anxiety, powerlessness) is the massive, hidden aspect underneath. I will help you explore and revisit speech managment techniques you might have learned already. Our conversations around the associated anxiety and negative thoughts might help you to change your perspective and work with a more inside-out approach.
