Trans and Gender Diverse Voice Services

Assessment is completed before starting training at the Clinic. It is important that your voice is thoroughly evaluated so that we can ‘get to know your voice’ and help you set your goals for voice therapy. We will ask you about your voice use, we will listen to your voice as you speak and complete an audio recording of your voice to be analysed by computer software. After the assessment, we will talk with you about whether voice training will be helpful.

We will offer a block of training sessions providing education and support with (but not limited to) vocal health, stretching/relaxation, efficient breathing for voice change and specific exercises to increase the range, flexibility, efficiency and stamina of your voice. You will then work on specific voice and communication techniques including pitch and resonance change exercises. Other aspects of verbal and non-verbal communication may also be addressed.

You will be provided with a regular (daily) practice regime of voice training tasks to be completed at home. The ability to complete these exercises in a safe space and regularly is key to achieving your voice and communication outcomes.

While most people find that 8 - 12 voice training sessions is enough to meet their goals, some do need more sessions. We may be able to offer ‘top up’ sessions on an individual basis. We will primarily offer ‘top up’ sessions when we have cancellations so there may be a wait for additional sessions, and you may work with a different Voice Clinic speech pathologist.

At the end of your voice sessions you will be offered the choice to move to our Review Day contact list or be discharged from our service. Review days provide you with the opportunity to return to the clinic following the completion of your voice training should you wish to ‘brush up’ on any of your techniques. Review days are optional and are held 2-4 times a year. During review days you will receive individual attention plus the opportunity to practice with others who have completed voice training

We would like you to consider the following information before you start your clinic sessions. Yes, we are a voice clinic and want to support you in your voice goals, but as Speech Pathologists we work on all aspects of communication. This means that as well as specific voice qualities, we can work with you on elements of speech and non-verbal communication if you have goals around these aspects of communication too.

Verbal & non-verbal communication.

• Verbal: communication or expression of thoughts using spoken words
• Non-verbal: communication or expression of thoughts without using spoken words

But why is it important?

• 7% of any message is conveyed using words
• 38% of any message is conveyed using elements of speech and voice e.g. tone of voice and intonation to express sarcasm, upset, agreement or interest.
• 55% of any message is conveyed using non-verbal communicatione.g. gestures, eye contact, posture

What we do work on: verbal communication

We target key aspects around pitch (source) and resonance (filter) in training. We can also work on intonation (the rise and fall of your voice when talking), articulation (speech sounds) and your coughing, sneezing and other non-speech sounds.

Pitch is measured in hertz and has typically been suggested across the following frequencies:

• More masculine pitch range                        80 – 160 Hertz
• More feminine pitch range                           160 - 260 Hertz
• Gender ambiguous/neutral overlap         145 – 165 Hertz

A feminine voice typically has higher pitch due to smaller and lighter vocal folds allowing the folds to vibrate at a higher frequency.

Resonance is a key part of your voice and how this can be modified. We can work on shifting the filter of your voice. Voices have often been perceived as more masculine if they are produced using a chesty/low resonance and perceived as more feminine if they are produced using head/forward resonance.

Remember

• Non-verbal communication is an important tool too and we can work with you to target your goals around non-verbal communication.
• Next time you are out observe how other people communicate, is it verbal, non-verbal, both? We encourage you to think about how you communicate.
• Other people have their own perceptions of gender specific verbal and non-verbal communication and behaviours, and we may not alter the perceptions of others, but we want to know what works for YOU and what YOUR voice and communication goals are.

Private Speech Pathologists Providing Voice Modification  

For any changes to this list please the contact communication.clinic@latrobe.edu.au

NB: Many of these Speech Pathologists are not associated with the La Trobe Communication Clinic, however they have indicated that they have the necessary skills and experience to provide voice services

* CDM: Medicare has a service called The Chronic Disease Management (formerly Enhanced Primary Care or EPC) plan. This allows ‘A person who has a chronic or terminal medical condition’ to attend 5 sessions with an allied health professional per calendar year. This is the only Medicare rebate option available for speech pathology for voice modification. This rebate is not available for Skype or online based training. Your GP is the best person to talk to about accessing a CDM. Some doctors may not realise that a CDM can be used for TGDNB voice training, however this is a feasible and permissible option.

Public Speech Pathology Services Providing Voice Modification

For a more comprehensive list, or to search for Speech Pathologists who offer voice support by post code go to:  

https://speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/SPAweb/Resources_for_the_Public/Find_a_Speech_Pathologist/SPAweb/Resources_for_the_Public/Find_a_Speech_Pathologist/All_Searches.aspx?hkey=0b04c883-80b2-43e7-9298-7e5db5c75197].

This does not indicate that they can provide voice modification training, but we are happy for them to contact our clinic for support in providing more specialised services in their clinic if this supports you accessing services closer to home.