Gender Affirming Voice and Communication Therapy
Date issued: January 2024
Review date: January 2026
Ref: C-558/DC/SaLT/Gender Affirming Voice and Communication Therapy
PDF: Gender Affirming Voice and Communication Therapy final January 2024.pdf [pdf] 268KB
Who will you meet?
You will be assigned a voice therapist who will work with you to help you achieve your authentic voice.
Your therapist will be a fully qualified speech and language therapist with a background in voice and voice disorders. On top of this, they will have had further specialist training and experience of working with people with trans and gender diverse voice needs.
First steps
Once you have been referred (either by your GP or by a GIC) you will receive an invitation to book’ letter. You can then contact the department and book an initial appointment at a convenient time for you. You can do this by telephone, or by email if you prefer using the contact details on the front of this leaflet. Your first appointment can be a telephone call, a video call or an in-person appointment, depending on your preference.
What can you expect at your first appointment?
This will be a chance for you to meet your therapist in a quiet, one to one environment (or you will have a conversation by phone or video). They will ask you some questions about you, your voice, and your goals for your voice. If you are unsure about your voice goals, your therapist can help you to work out what they might be. You will also learn about how the voice works and how to look after your voice.
How long and how often are Therapy sessions?
Your first session will probably be about forty-five minutes long. Follow-up sessions are typically around thirty minutes long but may sometimes be a little longer. Therapy sessions are usually held every two to four weeks. A typical block of therapy is six sessions, but some people need more sessions, and some people need less.
What will we cover?
Therapy will cover things like pitch, resonance, and intonation. You will learn how to build your voice safely and quickly from single sounds to words and phrases to general conversation. If you are happy to, your therapist may record your voice and they may also use an app to measure different aspects of your voice. You won’t have to hear recordings back if don’t want to.
At each session you will have a chance to talk about how things are going and if you are finding anything particularly easy or difficult.
Outside of sessions
Practise in your own time is a key part of succeeding with long-term voice change. You will decide together with your therapist what you will practise in between sessions. It is helpful if you can find a little time every day for short (5-10mins) practise sessions. Your therapist may be able to help you identify opportunities for practise if you are struggling.
Neurodiversity
If you are neurodiverse, please let us know if there are any adjustments that we can make which might make you feel more comfortable in your session. This might include having a virtual tour of the department before your first appointment, or a short practise session to check how to log on, with support from our team (if you are having an online appointment).
