SAY Australia with Richard Stephens (LIVE #18)
Meet Richard Stephens.
Watch conversation, scroll down for notes, scroll further to see bio
Conversation with Rich Stephens (Live #18)Looking forward to "Conversation" with Richard Stephens. Richard Stephens's fusion Mancunian accent hints at the sophistication of his person. (If you're wondering what is "Mancunian"? It's the dialect spoken by people by Manchester City, England, otherwise known as "Mac" for short.) In his formative years, he grew up in England as a boy with a stutter. He went on to earn his first degree and 6-year career as a psychiatric nurse, serving the needs of people with mental health concerns in England, Ireland and New Zealand. He attributes his experiences working with the Maori (indigenous Polynesian people of mainland New Zealand) as a transformative part of his personal journey coming to peace with his stutter. In 2017, he returned to "Uni" in Manchester, earning BSc degree in Speech and Language Therapy. During this period, Rich first volunteered as a bunk counselor at Camp Say, The Stuttering Association for the Young and has been involved ever since. Rich continued his studies at the The University of Manchester, earning his MSc in Neuroimaging for Clinical & Cognitive Neuroscience. At that time, he skipped across the (Atlantic) pond, to pursue PhD studies at Vanderbilt University and Michigan State University when... opportunity struck. The opportunity to bring a new approach of support and self-expression for young people who stutter in Australia. It was an opportunity too good to pass, so Rich took it, and launched @say aSAY: The Stuttering Association for the Young - Australia in 2019. Today, Rich brings his whole self to his life and his work. In doing so, he pays forward the lessons and experiences he gathered as a kid who stutters growing up in England; as a psychiatric nurse working with the indigenous people of New Zealand; as a professional speech-language therapist and neuro-imaging neuroscientist; and as a father to his 16 month old son... He is opening doors for young people who stutter, doors that weren't there for him and too many other young people who stutter. (Oh yeah, in his private time, he follows sports - as diverse as his rich live experiences - including his boyhood club Manchester United Football Club, the Seattle Seahawks (NFL) and Toronto Blue Jays (MLB); and if you're interested, he has the ULTIMATE Star Wars Film watching-sequence guide for any newcomers to the franchise!) This will be a GREAT conversation. Join us. Let's talk.
Posted by Schneider Speech on Thursday, September 17, 2020
“I felt so isolated in this world of fluency. I was the odd one out”
bio
Rich Stephens is a person who stutters and is the President of SAY: Australia, the first international arm of SAY: The Stuttering Association For The Young founded in 2001 in NYC by Taro Alexander.
Rich graduated from Salford University/UK as a Psychiatric Nurse and spent 6 years supporting people of all ages with mental health difficulties in the UK, Ireland, and New Zealand. During his time in New Zealand, Rich worked as a Maori Child Specialist Community Psychiatric Nurse, a role which started his journey to bring him closer and more at peace with his stutter.
Rich returned to the UK to pursue a career in Speech Pathology, graduating from the University of Manchester in 2017 with a BSc in Speech and Language Therapy. During this period, Rich first volunteered as a bunk counselor at Camp SAY and has been involved ever since.
Rich continued his studies at the University of Manchester and graduated with an MSC in Neuroimaging for Clinical & Cognitive Neuroscience. He was pursuing Ph.D. studies at Vanderbilt and MSU when an opportunity presented itself to launch SAY: Australia and bring a new approach to supporting young people who stutter to Australia. Rich is passionate about providing options for young people who stutter and their families, especially those he never had when he was a child.
Rich is a father to his 16-month-old son, passionately follows his boyhood team Manchester United Football Club, is an avid fan of the NFL (Seahawks) and MLB (Bluejays), and has the ULTIMATE Star Wars Film watching-sequence guide for any newcomers to the franchise!
