NY Voice Therapy Program For Adults
Adults with discomfort or pain when talking, quiver/vocal instability, a pitch that is too high or low, decreased vocal endurance/vocal fatigue, low volume, hoarse, weak, adults seeking transgender voice therapy.
A comprehensive evaluation of voice and vocal function.
Treatment for voice disorders is individualized and takes several factors into account, such as age, severity, and etiology or the underlying cause of the voice disorder. Vocal needs in different settings (e.g., school, home, work) are also considered. Learn more below.
Vocal Wellness
Voice Therapy Program for Adults
How you identify as a person is influenced by the way your voice sounds. When you do not identify with the way your voice sounds, feel a loss of control over your voice or have difficulty using your voice with ease and comfort, it may feel as though you are not presenting your authentic self to the world.
Treatment for Voice Disorders
Treatment for voice disorders is individualized and takes several factors into account, such as age, severity, and etiology, or the underlying cause of the voice disorder. Vocal needs in different settings (e.g., school, home, work) are also considered. Techniques may include, but are not limited to the following:
- Vocal Hygiene: Education about good vocal hygiene, including proper hydration and vocal use/misuse.
- Resonant Voice Treatment: Treatment focusing on achieving a healthy vocal fold vibratory pattern and healthy voicing by establishing a forward vocal resonance and easy phonation. Treatment follows a hierarchy from basic sound production through conversational speech.
- Exercises to improve breath support and control (e.g., expiratory muscle strength training; pausing, phrasing, and pacing).
- Vocal function exercises, stretches, manual techniques (e.g., circumlaryngeal manipulation), and back pressure exercises to balance pressure above and below the level of the vocal folds, decrease extraneous muscle tension, improve voice quality and decrease vocal effort/fatigue.
Voice Goals for Speech Therapy
We rely on our voice constantly throughout the day. A healthy voice requires efficient coordination of the subsystems of breathing, voicing, articulation, and resonance.
A number of difficulties can arise when there is a weakness or lack of coordination within or among any one of the subsystems. These can disrupt the overall balance and healthy function of the voice.
If you are experiencing any of the following problems, you may have a voice issue that warrants therapy:
- Difficulty projecting your voice to emphasize a point
- Problems with pitch variation when trying to express emotion
- Discomfort, pain or fatigue when speaking
- Changes in vocal quality (e.g., rough, hoarse, breathy, or strained sound to voice)
Changes and challenges such as these may be caused by suboptimal voice habits, the environment, overuse or misuse of the voice, or damage to structures or muscles involved in voicing. In less common cases, voice changes may have a neurological origin.
If you are an individual going through a gender transition, you may be seeking gender-affirming voice therapy. This type of voice treatment teaches you to modify and control various aspects of the way you communicate, including breath support and control, pitch and pitch range, intonation, loudness and loudness range, articulation, resonance, and vocal quality so your voice and overall speech pattern are more aligned with your sense of self.
Our voice programs aim to help you optimize healthy vocal function and find your true voice- one that gives you the confidence to address anyone in any setting and achieve your full potential.
Speech Therapy for Vocal Cord Dysfunction
The program begins with a one-on-evaluation with one of our uniquely trained, licensed speech-language pathologists (SLP). Your SLP will guide you through a series of tests that comprehensively examine all aspects of your voice. The assessment is also aimed at helping your SLP learn about your unique needs, goals, and professional demands. Results of this evaluation are used to determine the cause of your voice difficulties, identify specific areas of focus, and customize a plan of action to heal and optimize your voice and enhance your communication using personally relevant exercises.
Bringing years of clinical knowledge and offering complex, in-depth training in the area of respiratory-voice function, our team applies the latest clinical best practices to target safe and healthy vocal production to heal vocal trauma and build vocal strength. Vocal endurance is established while also eliminating any pain or discomfort you feel when speaking.
Following a hierarchy of structured sensorimotor exercises designed to improve the strength, ease, and efficiency of voicing, we move from simpler to more advanced tasks. Conversation and simulated professional demands are also addressed to help the transfer of skills to your day-to-day communication needs as efficiently as possible. Our goal is to help you find your authentic voice- a voice that is uniquely yours, which feels easy and natural to use. Through evidence-based exercises and individualized activities, our skilled clinicians will help you love your voice!
Vocal Wellness Programs at Open Lines®
Contact Open Lines® today by phone at 212-430-6800, by email at [email protected], or through our contact form. If you are ready to take the next steps to improve your vocal wellness and power, request an appointment to discuss your goals and review our service options.
Get in Touch With Open Lines®
