What Is CBT and How Can It Help If You Stammer?

You might have heard of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). It often comes up when people talk about confidence, anxiety and communication. But what is it exactly, and how can it support people who stammer?

What is CBT?

CBT is a structured and evidence based approach that focuses on the relationship between your thoughts, feelings and behaviours.

The idea is straightforward. The way we think about something influences how we feel, and those feelings shape how we respond.

For people who stammer, CBT doesn’t try to remove the stammer. Instead, it helps you understand what sits around the speech itself: the beliefs, reactions, fears, pressures and habits that can make speaking feel harder.

How CBT Can Support People Who Stammer

For many, the challenge is not only the moment of stammering. It is the worry, anticipation and self-criticism that can build around it. You might recognise:

• Concern about how others will react

• Anxiety before speaking

• Avoiding certain conversations or words

• Feeling frustrated or ashamed after blocks or repetitions

CBT offers space to explore these patterns gently and with direction.

1. Reducing Speaking Anxiety

You will learn practical ways to work with physical reactions such as racing heart, breath changes and tension. Reducing the feeling of threat can make speaking experiences more manageable and less draining.

2. Exploring and Reframing Thoughts

Many people who stammer carry thoughts such as:

• People will think I am less capable

• I should hide my stammer

• If I stammer, I have failed

CBT supports you to notice these automatic thoughts and replace them with more balanced and compassionate ones, rather than pushing them away.

3. Building Confidence

As your relationship with your thoughts shifts, speaking can feel less tied to pressure and performance.

The focus is not on becoming perfectly fluent but on feeling more in control and less restricted in everyday communication.

4. Reducing Avoidance

Avoiding speaking situations is understandable, and it offers short term relief. However, it can make life smaller over time.

CBT helps you take gradual steps back into situations you may have been avoiding, such as phone calls, introductions or presentations. The aim is to build positive speaking experiences and a sense of capability.

A Space to Understand Your Stammer

CBT does not aim to fix stammering. It supports you to understand how you relate to it. For many, that shift brings less fear, less shame and more freedom to speak as they are.

If you are looking for a practical and supportive approach that focuses on real life communication, CBT can be a helpful starting point.

If You Would Like to Know More

If you would like to explore CBT in relation to your stammer, you are welcome to get in touch with us at The Stammer Space. We are happy to answer questions or arrange an assessment.

Lucy Mutch-Burrows

Cognitive Behavioural Therapist