Skip to main content

Gender Affirming Voice Services at the Emory Voice Center

At the Emory Voice Center we take your voice seriously. In an effort to help every person achieve a voice that reflects their gender and personality, we offer gender affirming voice services. With a visit to Emory Voice Center you can expect an multidisciplinary approach and individualized design to get you the best possible plan to achieve your voice goals.

Not all voice needs are surgical.

A specialized, licensed speech-language pathologist (SLP) will guide you in exploration of pitch, resonance, articulation, and intonation in a sustainable and vocally healthy way.  Individualized voice exercises will be developed to help unravel the voice of your past and guide you to your goal sound. We offer both individual sessions and group experiences to help you build and refine skills towards maintaining your goal voice. While the goal is always communication, many participants find this group to be supportive and informative for a host of needs.

 

Sometimes underlying vocal conditions and maladaptive habits are present and require attention. We are well prepared to help you address these as well. 

 

In order to look for those conditions, we have you meet with one of our Fellowship-trained, Board-Certified Laryngology partners as part of your comprehensive evaluation.  The evaluation and oftentimes the therapy may be covered by your insurance, depending on the limitations of your plan. 

 

Procedural options are available and sometimes recommended.

We offer innovative gender affirming surgical procedures to help improve the quality of voice and the amount of effort it takes to get there. 

We had a chance to sit down with Dr. Jeanne Hatcher to discuss some of her expertise on surgical options.

What are the surgical options for voice surgery?

We offer two types of surgery that elevate the pitch of the voice. This is always done in conjunction with pre and post-operative voice therapy. One procedure is called the Wendler Glottoplasty and the other is called a cricothyroid approximation. These two surgical procedures are specifically designed to make your pitch (how high or how low your voice sounds) higher, in most cases. These procedures are quite successful.

 

How do I know if I’m a good candidate?

We recommend coming into the Voice Center to consult with one of our surgeons in conjunction with a speech language pathologist in our multidisciplinary clinic. Every person’s voice and body are different. The voicebox is no exception.  At the time of your visit, we would record your voice, examine your larynx and vocal folds, and discuss your goals.

 

We at the Emory Voice Center are proud to care for all people with a deep regard for wellbeing, authenticity, and compassion. Outreach is important to us, so keep an eye out! Several times a year we offer free community workshops, partnering with members of the transgender community, to bring information to you and your loved ones. For more information,  contact us at 404.778.3381 or text "genderaf" to 81010.

 
Keep an eye on our Instagram @EmoryVoice to find out about more workshop opportunities.

 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Can I Communicate Effectively with a Protective Mask in Place?

  Can I communicate effectively with a protective mask? 10 Words: Yes! Communicative efficiency can be maintained with clear/crisp speech . 100 Words: The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our world. No shirt, no shoes, no mask , no service. Masks are recommended for our protection, but communicating efficiently and effectively with a mask is challenging . Here are some tips to communicate effectively: Eliminate unnecessary background noise (loud music, TV, etc). Get BIGGER. Make big movements with your mouth (move your teeth, tongue and jaw more) when speaking. Ensure appropriate mask-fit . Make sure you can move your mouth enough to be clear when you speak. Slow down. Allow for appropriate pauses between phrases. Supplement in-person communication with text (signs, pre-meeting email, close-captioned scribe, etc.) 1000 Words: As we begin discussions of re-opening the nation, we are all faced with the reality of walking back into a world that is vastly different...
6 comments
Read more

Is it safe for choirs to rehearse or perform during the COVID 19 pandemic?

Welcome to the Emory Voice Center (EVC) blog! We will be releasing research briefs on a regular basis to help create a bridge from intimidating science to applicable knowledge.  Today’s questions is: “Is it safe for choirs to rehearse or perform during the COVID 19 pandemic?”   10 words or less :   Currently, it is not safe to sing in crowds.   100 words or less :   COVID-19 spreads from person to person through droplets in the air. There are large droplets and small droplets. Large droplets come from the lungs of one person during coughing or sneezing, and are then inhaled into the nose or mouth by a nearby person.   COVID-19 can also spread through very small droplets in the air- smaller than those expelled in a cough or sneeze. Activities like singing and loud voice produce these types of droplets and should therefore be avoided. COVID-19 can spread from one person to another even if the person does not show any symptoms of the disease.   1,000 word...
49 comments
Read more

The Voice: Hot or Not?

We spend a lot of time at the Emory Voice Center helping people restore their voices. With the recent pandemic we are all leaning on our voice just a little more than usual - whether that be an increased number of conference calls, "Zoom happy hours", or trying to have a front yard party with a mask. Not only that, but dating (especially first steps) has gotten a little....complicated? We have been thinking about how the voice impacts your perception of attractiveness. On cue, Netflix released "Love is Blind" - a social dating experiment where people talked to complete strangers, separated by an opaque frosted glass wall with the hope of choosing a forever partner. There were some....unique voices that made quite a stir in the public eye (Jessica's "babe").   So can in fact a voice make or break your perception of attractiveness? More below from our resident expert, Brian Petty, CCC-SLP: 10-ish words: The quality of your voice can affect how you are pe...
Post a Comment
Read more