Peer Support Group Facilitation For People Who Stutter
by Michael Sugerman.

I have to be honest and say that my first reaction this American publication was one of confusion, beginning, of course, with the title. It took me a long time to work out exactly what "Peer Support Group Facilitation" was. A much simpler, more helpful title would have been something like "Stuttering - Advice for Group Leaders".

But here again there is confusion. The introduction states that groups should not have "leaders" as such, but then goes on in the "Techniques" section to describe one-to-one situations which, firstly, would require not merely a "leader" but a highly trained and professional therapist/psychologist, and, secondly, would be so time-consuming as to be inappropriate for a self-help group anyway. Also, for me personally, there is an overall air to the book of New Age "getting in touch" and "letting go" which, as far as I am concerned, has little if anything to do with the practical realities of stammering (as an example, page twenty-one suggests Aroma Therapy, Creative Movement, and Afro-Haitian Dance as group activities. If you are New Age, go for it, but it's not for me!). However, the sections on Goals and Agendas are helpful, as is the specimen meeting of the Philadelphia group given at the back of the group.

Consisting basically of thirty-eight sheets printed on one side, I would say that the core information of interest to the British group leaders (or facilitators) could easily be reproduced in a twenty-page A5 booklet (forgive the cynicism, but has it been printed in spaced-out type on one side to make it appear more voluminous and authoritative than it actually is?). So, overall yes, interesting and helpful in a general sense, but not something that I personally would be prepared to pay more than a couple of pounds for.

Reviewed by Alan Cadwallender, Spring 1997 issue of 'Speaking Out'.

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