Stammering Therapy for Children, Young People & Adults

Laura Coverley | Stammering Specialist

Laura is an Accredited Palin Parent–Child Interaction (PCI) Therapist with over 10 years’ experience supporting children, young people and their families with stammering, both in private practice and within the NHS. She is the clinical lead for stammering in her NHS service, where she has played a key role in redesigning the stammering care pathway to ensure high‑quality, evidence‑based support for families.

Laura has completed extensive additional training through a range of Michael Palin Centre courses, all of which take a supportive, whole‑person and strengths‑based approach. She is committed to understanding each child through the Palin Model and works not only with the individual who stammers but also with their wider environment, including family, school and nursery.

Laura’s own neurodivergence enables her to connect deeply with many of the young people she supports. This lived experience gives her a meaningful insight into the challenges they face and enriches her therapeutic work, allowing her to understand and respond to their needs with greater empathy and clarity.

She is also trained in several psychological approaches, including Solution Focused Brief Therapy and CBT, which she integrates into her work to support young people in achieving meaningful and lasting outcomes.

Gemma Clarke | Stammering & Cluttering Specialist

Gemma is a Certified European Specialist in Stammering and Cluttering and an Accredited Palin Parent Child Interaction (PCI) Therapist, with over 15 years of experience supporting people who stammer and their families.

She spent many years working at the Michael Palin Centre for Stammering in London, where she continues to be a trainer, alongside her work with clients in private practice. Although she still offers some face-to-face assessments in London, since 2020 she has worked almost exclusively online and finds it an effective way to connect with clients of all ages and their families.

Gemma uses the approaches developed by the Michael Palin Centre, all of which are gentle, holistic and affirming. She is passionate about understanding her clients through the Palin Model and works not only with the individual who stammers but also with their wider environment, including family, school or workplace.

She is trained in a range of psychological approaches, including Solution Focused Brief Therapy, CBT, ACT and Neurolinguistic Programming. She integrates elements of these approaches into therapy to help clients move towards living the life they want to live and communicating with confidence and joy, whether they stammer or not.

Gemma has also shared her knowledge and experience of using Neurolinguistic Programming in stammering therapy as a guest on the Stuttering Foundation Podcast.

Listen to the episode here