Neurorehabilitation · London
Specialist speech and language therapy for people living with aphasia after stroke, brain injury or brain tumour, and for those with primary progressive aphasia. Intensive blocks, weekly sessions, family training, and warm handovers to community groups.
Named speech and language therapists with dedicated aphasia caseloads, working alongside neuropsychology and neurorehabilitation teams.
We match therapy dose to the evidence - high-intensity blocks for stroke recovery, maintenance strategies for progressive aphasia.
We are paid by no clinic, so the recommendation is impartial and costs you and your family nothing.
What aphasia is
Aphasia affects language after damage to the brain. Thinking, personality and knowledge are usually intact. The words simply take a different route out.
Aphasia is an acquired language disorder caused by damage to the brain, most often after a stroke affecting the left hemisphere language areas. It can also follow a traumatic brain injury, a brain tumour or surgery to remove one, or the neurodegenerative condition known as primary progressive aphasia (PPA), a form of frontotemporal dementia.
Aphasia can affect any part of language - speaking, understanding, reading and writing - and it affects people very differently. Some people know exactly what they want to say and cannot get the words out. Others speak fluently but the words that come out are not the ones they intended. Many struggle to follow fast conversation, or find long paragraphs of writing hard to hold onto.
It is important to distinguish aphasia from two other conditions it is often confused with. Dysarthria is a motor speech disorder - the muscles that produce speech are weak or uncoordinated, but language itself is preserved. Cognitive-communication difficulty is a change in the thinking that surrounds language - attention, memory and social judgement - rather than in the language system itself. A specialist speech and language therapy assessment separates them and points the therapy plan in the right direction.
Aphasia is common. Around a third of people who have a stroke develop some form of aphasia. With the right therapy, delivered at the right intensity, and with family and friends learning to support conversation, meaningful language recovery is possible for many years after the injury.
Indicative pricing
Indicative ranges across our London network. Send us the story so far and we quote firm figures across two or three options.
In short
A typical 6-month programme in our London network: £6,500–£14,000, with intensive blocks from £2,400/week.
| Service | Indicative range | Typical duration | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial specialist SLT assessment | £220–£380 | 60–90 min | Report in 5 days |
| Individual therapy session | £150–£280 | 45–60 min | Weekly |
| Intensive residential or day programme (per week) | £2,400–£4,500 | 15–20 h/week | 2–4 week block |
| Typical 6-month programme (assessment + sessions) | £6,500–£14,000 | 20–40 sessions | 6 months |
| Supported conversation partner training (family) | £280–£450 | 90 min | Same week |
| Second-opinion review of prior SLT notes | £220–£380 | 45 min | 48 hours |
Prices vary by therapist, by centre, by whether therapy is delivered in clinic, at home or online, and by whether a formal intensive programme is chosen over weekly sessions. We come back with a firm quote within one working day.
The problem
NHS speech and language therapy after stroke is often excellent, but usually thinly spread. What the evidence says works is intensive, structured therapy - and warm, well-trained family support alongside it.
Is your therapy dose enough?
Short weekly sessions can maintain but rarely rebuild language. Intensive blocks change the trajectory - if the person is well enough to take them.
Is it the right aphasia approach?
CIAT, MIT, Semantic Feature Analysis and Supported Conversation each suit different profiles. A specialist assessment matches the tool to the job.
Are family and friends supported?
Partner training in Supported Conversation for Aphasia is one of the highest-impact interventions we can offer - and it is often missed.
The journey
One team from first message to review, and a warm handover to the community groups that make therapy stick.
Phase 1 · Before therapy
Concierge, off-stage for you
Phase 2 · Therapy in progress
Weekly or intensive blocks
Phase 3 · After
Review and community
Before
A short, confidential form. When the stroke or injury happened, any NHS SLT already involved, and what you or your family would like to be able to say and do.
Before
Within one working day: which therapist and centre fit the aphasia type, an intensive block versus weekly sessions, indicative cost, and how it can sit alongside NHS care.
Before
Usually within one to two weeks. Formal aphasia battery, functional communication measures, and goal-setting with you and the people closest to you.
Therapy
A 60 to 90 minute assessment. The therapist listens, tests language across speaking, understanding, reading and writing, and asks what a good day looks like at home.
Therapy
Weekly sessions of 45 to 90 minutes, or an intensive block of 15 to 20 hours a week for 2 to 4 weeks. Structured tasks, real conversation, and daily home practice.
Therapy
A dedicated session teaches partners and carers Supported Conversation for Aphasia - the small changes that let you take a full part in everyday chat again.
After
Formal review at 3 and 6 months. Move to maintenance sessions or a top-up block. Warm handovers to aphasia community groups so therapy does not end when sessions do.
Typical start: 1–2 weeks. Intensive block: 2–4 weeks. Weekly programme: 3–12 months.
Intensity matters
The evidence for aphasia therapy is clear on one point: intensity matters. A programme of 15 to 20 or more hours a week for 2 to 4 weeks is more effective than the same total number of hours spread thinly over many months. Massed practice appears to drive the neural change that underpins language recovery.
We arrange residential and day-programme intensive blocks at partner centres, tailored to what the person can tolerate physically and cognitively. For people who cannot take an intensive block, we build a weekly programme reinforced by structured home practice on tablet apps - Tactus Language Therapy, Constant Therapy, Bungalow Software - so the total dose of practice each week is still substantial.
Types of aphasia
The main causes we see, and the classical patterns therapists use to plan treatment. Most people do not fit neatly into one box - and that is fine.
The most common cause. Damage to the left hemisphere language areas after an ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke, with recovery ongoing for many months.
Language changes after a serious head injury, often alongside cognitive-communication and executive-function difficulties.
Language change from a tumour in a language area, or after neurosurgical resection. Therapy plans work around oncology treatment schedules.
A neurodegenerative form of dementia where language declines gradually. Therapy focuses on maintaining function and adapting the environment.
Effortful, halting speech with relatively preserved understanding. Word-finding, sentence building and melodic approaches can all help.
Fluent but unclear speech with difficulty understanding others. Therapy focuses on comprehension, self-monitoring and conversation repair.
The right word will not come. Semantic Feature Analysis and phonological cueing help rebuild reliable word retrieval.
Aphasia is a language disorder, not a motor speech disorder (dysarthria) or a cognitive-communication difficulty. Assessment tells them apart.
Therapy approaches
The approaches with the strongest evidence base, and the community and technology tools that keep therapy working between sessions.
Intensive verbal practice - typically 3 or more hours a day for 2 weeks - that gently blocks gesture and writing to build spoken output. Strong evidence in chronic aphasia.
Uses melody, rhythm and tapping to help people with non-fluent aphasia produce phrases. Well suited to Broca aphasia with good comprehension.
A structured word-finding therapy. The person describes category, use, action and location of a target word - retrieval improves and generalises to conversation.
Rebuilds sentence structure by strengthening the verb and the people and things that go with it. Helps with functional sentences at home and work.
A conversation-focused approach that trains partners and carers to use closed questions, visual cues, wait time and written support to bring the person fully into the chat.
Rehearsed scripts for the situations that matter most - ordering coffee, a phone call to the GP, a short toast at a family gathering.
Tablet apps such as Tactus Language Therapy, Constant Therapy and Bungalow Software give hundreds of extra practice hours between sessions.
Small groups run by an SLT, plus community groups from Stroke Association, Say Aphasia and Aphasia Alliance UK. Language practice with real people, in real conversation.
Where in London
Named adult neuro speech and language therapists at leading London neurorehabilitation centres and specialist aphasia clinics.
Queen Square. Aphasia therapy alongside neurology, neurosurgery and neuropsychology teams.
Consultant-led inpatient and outpatient neurorehabilitation, including intensive aphasia programmes.
Multidisciplinary neurorehabilitation team in central London with dedicated adult neuro SLT.
Independent London speech and language therapy practice covering aphasia and voice disorders.
Community-based specialist aphasia service offering individual therapy and small groups.
RCSLT-registered specialists working across London clinics and in your home, chosen for the specific aphasia profile.
Selection criteria
Specialist adult neuro SLTs with dedicated aphasia caseloads
RCSLT-registered, HCPC-regulated, working to national aphasia guidelines
Access to intensive programmes as well as weekly sessions
Warm handovers to Stroke Association, Say Aphasia and Aphasia Alliance UK groups
Peer support
Individual therapy is only part of the picture. Community aphasia groups run by the Stroke Association, Say Aphasia and Aphasia Alliance UK give people a place to practise language with others who really understand, and to rebuild the social life aphasia so often quietly takes away.
Primary progressive aphasia
Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a neurodegenerative condition in which language declines gradually, most often as part of frontotemporal dementia. Therapy is not about reversing loss - it focuses on maintaining function for as long as possible, teaching compensatory communication strategies, training family and carers, and adapting the everyday environment to reduce language demands.
Partner training
Supported Conversation for Aphasia trains family, friends and carers in small, specific changes - closed questions, visual cues, generous wait time, written key words - that dramatically improve the person with aphasia's participation in everyday conversation. Often it is the highest-impact intervention we offer.
What to expect
Aphasia rehabilitation is safe and well tolerated. What matters is the honest conversation about intensity, plateaus, mood and how family life changes around it.
Most language recovery after stroke happens in the first 6 months, but meaningful gains continue for years - especially with intensive, focused therapy.
The evidence supports higher-intensity therapy - 15 to 20 or more hours a week for 2 to 4 weeks - as more effective than the same hours spread thinly.
Between sessions, daily tablet or workbook practice builds the repetitions that change language. Small, regular, and kind to yourself.
When partners learn Supported Conversation for Aphasia, everyday participation improves dramatically - often more than any solo therapy exercise.
Low mood, fatigue and social withdrawal are common after aphasia. Therapy holds space for this, and neuropsychology is arranged when it helps.
Private therapy complements NHS SLT. We share notes with your NHS team, with your consent, so the plan is joined up.
PPA is not stroke aphasia in reverse. Therapy focuses on maintaining function, teaching compensatory strategies, and preparing family for change.
Plateaus are normal. A short pause, a change of approach, or a group format can restart progress. We review formally at 3 and 6 months.
New weakness, sudden worsening of speech, a fresh headache or a change in vision needs urgent medical review - not a therapy session.
Reading your assessment report
Whichever therapist you see, the assessment report keeps to the same shape.
A quiet reminder
SLT reports can read technically - we translate them for you and your family.
If you would like us to talk you through the report before your review, just ask.
Time since onset, cause, and the aphasia type - Broca, Wernicke, global, conduction, anomic or primary progressive. In plain words as well as the label.
Western Aphasia Battery or Boston Diagnostic scores across speaking, understanding, reading and writing, alongside functional communication in everyday tasks.
What language and communication are working well, what is blocking real-life participation, and the agreed goals you and your family chose together.
Read this first: session pattern, intensive blocks, home practice, family training, community group referrals, and review at 3 and 6 months.
Recognised by major UK insurers
Cover for adult neurological SLT varies by insurer and by indication - usually funded when medically indicated after stroke or brain injury. We confirm cover before booking.
Frequently asked
Quick answers on recovery, online sessions, insurance, plateaus, apps and family training.
Most spontaneous recovery after a stroke happens in the first 3 to 6 months, but meaningful gains from therapy continue for years - even a decade or more. What matters most is the intensity and focus of the therapy, and how much practice happens between sessions. We plan in 3-month blocks and review together.
Yes, for many people. Telehealth SLT is now well evidenced for aphasia and is often the only way to access the right specialist, particularly outside London. We combine online sessions with face-to-face reviews and family training when useful, and pair them with tablet apps for home practice.
Cover for adult neurological SLT varies by insurer and by policy. Most major UK insurers fund SLT after stroke or brain injury when medically indicated and referred by a consultant, usually as a capped number of sessions. We confirm cover in writing before booking, and offer self-pay alternatives.
Plateaus are normal, not a full stop. Often a short pause, a change of therapy approach - for example moving from word-finding drills into Supported Conversation - or a group format can restart progress. A second-opinion review of your current therapy notes is a good place to begin.
They are, when used alongside therapy rather than instead of it. Apps such as Tactus Language Therapy, Constant Therapy and Bungalow Software give you the repetitions that build reliable language. Your SLT sets the task, checks progress, and keeps you working on the right thing.
Aphasia is a conversation problem as much as a language problem. When partners, adult children and carers learn Supported Conversation for Aphasia - closed questions, visual cues, wait time, written key words - the person with aphasia takes a much fuller part in daily life. It is one of the highest-impact things we do.
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