Gender-Affirming Communication
What is gender-affirming communication?
Clarion Voice & Speech specializes in voice and communication concerns related to identity, especially gender identity. Our team has extensive experience with transgender voice, voice feminization, voice masculinization, and gender-fluid presentations, which includes vocal, verbal, and non-verbal aspects of communication.
Non-transgender individuals may also wish to work on increasing or decreasing aspects of the voice that sound masculine and/or feminine, old and/or young, or other stylistic elements that influence how you are perceived by others.
Gender-affirming communication services include:
Voice feminization
Voice masculinization
Voice rehabilitation and feminization following glottoplasty surgery
Vocal spectrum exploration and development (learning to speak in both masculine and feminine registers and styles)
Vocal style modification (for anyone wanting to address how others perceive them based on the sound of your voice)
What happens in gender-affirming communication therapy?
Adjusting the sound of your voice is both a technical and emotional experience. Work typically begins with very technical aspects of voice modification, learning how to identify and adjust the movements of your vocal mechanism to achieve the sound that you want. This early stage involves experimentation to discover the right sound, vocal exercises, and dedicated practice.
Once you are able to maintain your new sound in running speech, we focus on expanding your ability to use this new voice in different speaking situations and environments.
Throughout the entire process, we also address the social concerns around changing how you sound, and how the voice connects to your gender presentation overall. Even if you love the sound of your new voice inside the therapy room, it can be challenging to use this voice in a social context with people who know your old voice. Understanding your personal choices, values, and decision-making process around using your voice is a crucial goal in gender-affirming communication work. We strive to equip our clients with the skills, knowledge, and flexibility to speak how they want and when they want, making informed and authentic choices for themselves.