Voice Therapy

Voice therapy is provided by a Speech-Language Pathologist with specialized training. The goal of voice therapy is to restore the patient to a level of function that allows him or her to meet communication and voice demands in social and occupational contexts. We treat voice problems over the spectrum of voice use, from professional singing and speaking voice use to casual voice use. Voice therapy includes education on how the voice works and how it can be injured, education on principles of voice care, voice and respiratory exercises, and home practice.

Voice therapy begins with a comprehensive evaluation that includes medical history, history of voice use, the patient’s report of how the voice problem is impacting daily function, perceptual evaluations of the voice, laryngeal function tasks including acoustic and aerodynamic measures, and visualization of the larynx with an endoscopic evaluation. It is important for the Speech-Language Pathologist to identify all of the factors contributing to the voice problem, including habitual voice techniques and compensatory behaviors affecting voice function.

After a thorough evaluation, voice therapy focuses on techniques and training to facilitate and maximize coordination of respiration, vocal cord vibration and vocal tract resonance. In order for voice therapy to be effective, the treatment must result in enhanced awareness and ability to discern healthy voice use from inefficient and compensatory voice use habits. Successful treatment enables the patient to use voice techniques consistently and automatically in everyday life.