Sabrina Hasni lives in the UK South region of London. Sabrina joined the McGuire Programme on the Bournemouth Course in November 2011. Sabrina will be moving to the Netherlands in October.
When I was 3 years old, my father told me he struggled to stop me from speaking, he used to record me doing impromptu speeches and telling fairy tale stories and I was perfectly fluent. It is at the age of 5 or 6 when I started attending a school that my stammer started to take control of my speech. I started to worry more about people’s reactions towards my stammer and it triggered facial expressions and blocks. Making presentations at my university in front of students and professors were the scariest challenge, even after I graduated and started working as an engineer, I still struggled in delivering presentations at work.
After so many speech therapy failures, I decided to seek help from people who succeeded in reaching similar goals and joined the McGuire Programme. I must say it transformed my life, I can now face fearful speaking situations thanks to the support of the McGuire family. What is wonderful about the programme is that it does not only focus on the physical aspect of stammering but also on the psychological and emotional aspects. Most importantly, it provides a remarkable support network that makes it different from conventional speech therapies.
I am now prepared to face many speaking challenges, such as succeeding at interviews, delivering presentations, participating in conferences and expanding my social network. I feel privileged to be part of this support network so I can give a helping hand to new members and share what I learned from those who helped me.
My dream is to do stand-up comedy one day, although I am still far away, I am making my way step by step.
