Understanding Voice Therapy
A Key Tool in the Treatment of Voice Disorders
Voice therapy is one type of a broader set of speech and language
therapies that are administered by speech-language pathologists (SLPs).
Voice therapy is one of the three main tools (along with surgical
treatments and medications) that physicians use to treat voice
disorders.
Voice Therapy Is Tailored to Each Patient's Needs
The decision to start voice therapy and the timing and design of the
voice therapy program depend on both the type and severity of a
patient's voice disorder. Voice therapy may be recommended before
and/or after surgical treatment, depending on the patient's needs.
Who provides voice therapy?
A voice therapist provides voice therapy. A voice therapist is a
speech-language pathologist (SLP) with voice as an area of
concentration.
Note: There is no separate set of qualifications for SLPs
practicing voice therapy. These professionals are simply
speech-language pathologists who have chosen to focus on voice therapy
as an area of concentration. They are therefore often known simply as
voice therapists (or vocal therapists).
Approximately 500 members of the American Speech-Language-Hearing
Association (ASHA) have expressed a particular interest in voice
therapy, as evidenced by their membership in ASHA's Special Interest
Division (SID-3, Voice and Voice Disorders).
License Requirements for a Speech-Language Pathologist
Speech-language pathologists must meet very specific requirements to be licensed. These requirements are:
- Minimum of a master's degree in speech therapy including completion of a seminar or class in voice or professional voice care
- Clinical fellowship year which includes:
- Clinical
training under the supervision of a practicing speech-language
pathologist who maintains a certificate of clinical competency
- Practice in a university, hospital, rehabilitation facility, or in a private practice
- Passing grade on a national exam, in order to earn a certificate of clinical competency
- In 38 states, continuing education credits in order to maintain clinical licensure
In addition, speech-language pathologists are required to attend
national and regional conferences and seminars to remain knowledgeable
about current issues related to voice disorders.
What is the difference between a voice therapist and a singing teacher?
There are important distinctions between voice therapists and singing teachers.
| |
Voice Therapist |
Singing Teacher |
| Professional Requirements |
Licensed and certified speech language pathologists
|
Currently no required certification
NOTE: Some – but not all – singing teachers join the National Association of
Teachers of Singing (NATS), which has a code of ethics and professional
standards |
| Physician Referrals |
Generally treats patients with voice disorders based on physician referral |
Physician referral not usual |
| Focus |
Provides voice rehabilitation needed as a result of a disorder
Works with voice as it relates to communication |
Works with voice for improved singing |
Singing Voice Specialist – A Member of the Voice Care Team
Increasingly, singing teachers have become members of the voice care
team, along with voice specialists such as laryngologists and voice
therapists. These individuals are referred to as singing voice
specialists. They focus mainly on helping to rehabilitate singers'
voices in tandem with the other professional caregivers on the voice
care team. (For more information, see Voice Care Team.)
In addition, the number of certified speech-language pathologists is
growing. These professionals also have professional voice training,
making them particularly well suited for treating singers with voice
disorders.
What is the voice therapist's role in treating voice disorders?
Voice therapy plays a major role in the treatment for voice disorders.
- Key role in rehabilitation after surgery
- Key role in preventing the recurrence of voice disorder
- Often used in combination with medications, surgery, and/or psychiatric intervention
- For certain conditions, can sometimes be the only treatment that can successfully rehabilitate the voice
- For
certain conditions, can be the first-line intervention – if voice
therapy yields adequate improvement of voice and/or resolution of the
voice disorder, surgery may no longer be required.
 Key Information
Voice Therapy – Still Growing as a Discipline
Despite
the acceptance of voice therapy among voice professionals and its
increasingly widespread use, there is no specific agreement among
therapists about the effectiveness of specific treatment techniques,
the exact timing of when they should be applied, or when voice therapy
should be started or stopped.
Limitations of Voice Therapy
It is important to point out that voice therapy alone may not return the voice to normal in all cases.
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