Mary -
Words truly can't express what you've done for me. As a child, my stuttering was moderate. It was never talked about, and I was never taken in for help. After over 25 years, my humongous bag of tricks began to fail me, too worn out from years of abuse. Mary, you finally, FINALLY, got me to face my stuttering and accept it. I still stutter on occasion, but not often. Most importantly, stuttering no longer defines who I am - and it no longer controls my life, my every waking moment. I've gained confidence and self-esteem for the first time. I don't lose sleep worrying about that phone call, and I don't beat myself black and blue every time I stutter. I've learned that I'm actually a pretty good communicator despite my dysfluencies! Thanks for your never-ending gentleness and caringness, the laughter and the Kleenexes, and thanks for pushing me too. You helped me to break out of the prison I was in (where I was sure I was doing life with no chance of parole ;-) )!
Jo
Mary -
I just wanted to write to tell you how wonderfully Kimberlie is doing. It's been a
little over a year since we last saw you and at this point in our lives, it's hard to
remember she ever had a stuttering problem. I wanted you to know that, as it was
always hard for me to believe in the beginning of her therapy. I would call or come in
crying, and you would reassure me that there would come a time in her life that she
wouldn't even remember having this issue. Well, here we are now!
Do you remember when she used to tell me she needed a new head because hers didn't work
right? I am so thankful we didn't listen to our pediatrician, who told us to wait until
she was five before we got her help. We all worked hard for those two years, but she's
a happy, CONFIDENT, wonderfully speaking six-year-old now! Your expertise, skill, love
for children, and encouragment of me, as her mother, was invaluable!
Please let anyone struggling with this problem read this. If they've come to you
somehow or another, it was the best thing that could have happened to them. You are a
wonderful gift to people with stuttering issues. I'm so thankful the people at BVSD
sent me to you. YOU ARE THE BEST!!
Lori
How can I put my appreciation for Mary Wallace into words?
We heard about Mary through an acquaintance, but we believe
it was a miracle that brought her into our lives. Mary has
helped our daughter tremendously; she has skillfully given
her strategies to help control her speech, but she has also
given her power, confidence and hope. Our family has never
met anyone like Mary, who is willing to put so much of herself
into our daughter's life, to help her become successful.
Though we live 900 miles from Boulder (and always have),
we believe our trips to see Mary every summer for the past
nine years have been worth every bit of effort, and more!
We love Mary Wallace; she's the best!!!
JoAnne Brands
St. Louis, MO
Our daughter
has been working with Mary and Adrian for 9 months, and
we have witnessed the dramatic blossoming of her confidence
and ability to engage more with her world. Mary and Adrian
have a wonderful way with really seeing children, and making
them feel comfortable and completely accepted. In Mary’s
safe and loving environment our daughter found a place where
it was ok to have “hard talk,” and be with people
who could help her. We are forever grateful to Mary and
Adrian!
The Priegels
P.s. it’s
all true ;-)
A year ago I called Mary at Center for Stuttering therapy.
She had been referred to us by our family doctor and yet
I was skeptical that she could do much for my son. My husband
and I had done our research and tried various techniques
and nothing seemed to help. Our little boy, then four years
old had a stutter that was terrible to witness. In his struggle
to speak, his face would tense up and his eyes would roll
back in his head. The first time I called Mary Wallace,
she spent and hour on the phone with me, asking me questions
and giving me strategies to help deal with my son's stutter.
During the course of the following month, she lent us books
and videos and consulted with my husband and I numerous
times over the phone. Finally, six weeks after our original
conversation, I brought my son in to see Mary. Within seconds
she had drawn our whole family in. My son felt comfortable
with her within moments and asked at the end of the session
when he could come back. Coming to the Center is now an
outing he looks forward to all week. We noticed an improvement
in his speech within weeks and now almost a year later he
speaks with only the occasional "easy" stutter.
Mary has always been available to address our concerns and
has been extremely pro-active in the treatment of our son.
She has also helped us to foster our confidence in working
with him ourselves.
Michelle
Mom of Julien age 5.
Testimonials
