Liz Unruh (Host): Hello, listeners, and thank you for tuning in to The Well Within Reach podcast, brought to you by Riverside Healthcare. I'm your host, Liz Unruh. And joining me today is Camille Joly, a licensed speech therapist with Riverside Rehabilitation and Therapy. And today, we're going to be talking about gender-affirming voice therapy. Thanks for joining us today.

Camille Joly: Thanks for having me.

Host: So to start out, can you give us a little quick reminder of your role and background? I know you've been a guest before, but just in case people missed that episode.

Camille Joly: Sure. So, I'm a licensed speech language pathologist, better known as a speech therapist. I've been doing this for almost six years, two and a half at Riverside. I work in the outpatient setting, dealing with a variety of different diagnoses for therapies like stroke recovery, Parkinson's, cognition, memory, swallowing, voice, and a lot more.

Host: Yeah. I know, you hear speech and you don't think, like, swallowing and all of those things.

Camille Joly: Huge misconception.

Host: Yeah. So to kind of jump into our topic, what is gender-affirming voice therapy and how does it work?

Camille Joly: So, gender-affirming voice therapy, it's a type of speech therapy that helps someone develop a voice and communication style that feels more aligned with their personal gender identity and how they want to be perceived socially.

So, this kind of therapy can include any of the following: so like raising or lowering your voice pitch; your resonance, which is how and where the voice vibrates or sounds; speech patterns; volume, including breath support, communication style, and vocal health, including prevention of any strains.

Host: Okay. Yeah. So, it can help just, affirm what you're showing on the outside. I think this is really important. And how does this play in conjunction with gender-affirming hormone therapy?

Camille Joly: So, this can be done either with or without the gender-affirming hormone therapy. They're both related forms of care, but one is not required for the other.

Host: Okay. So, who would benefit from voice therapy for gender affirmation, or why do you think it's important?

Camille Joly: So, I think a lot of people can benefit from this type of voice therapy, not only transgender individuals, but anyone whose voice or communication style does not feel it matches with their gender identity or expression.

I believe it's really important because someone's voice is one of the main ways people perceive gender during everyday interactions, like talking on the phone, socially, at work, and so on. it could also improve confidence, overall quality of life, creating healthy vocal habits, and support your individualized goals.

Host: Yeah. I think that's a lot of great reasons, that could be reasons why people would benefit from this type of speech therapy. Are there some type of misconceptions that people commonly have about voice therapy?

Camille Joly: Absolutely. So, some of the misconceptions, it could include any of the following: so some being that the hormones they receive will completely change the voice, or that it's just about changing the pitch, and that there's only typical one male or one typical female voice when voices truly exist on a whole spectrum.

Host: Before we continue our conversation, we're going to pause briefly to talk about the importance of primary care.

At Riverside, our primary care providers are right here in your community, offering personalized care for you and your family, close to home and connected to the specialists and services you may need. Having a primary care provider means having someone who knows you, listens to you, and helps you stay well through every stage of life, from annual checkups and preventative screenings to managing everyday concerns when they pop up, because remarkable care should never be out of reach. Remarkable care right where you live.

To find a primary care provider who's right for you and your family, visit myrhc.net/acceptingnew.

And back to it, how would someone get started with this type of therapy, and what would a first appointment look like for somebody?

Camille Joly: Sure. So, it begins with first finding a speech therapist who's local to your community and who has experience in voice and gender-affirming care. This individual needs to obtain a referral from someone like their primary care provider or any health professional that may be on their case. Typically, a first appointment would include an assessment, education to the patient, and then goal setting.

Host: Okay. And how long does gender-affirming voice therapy usually take? Is it, you know, a series of appointments, or what does that look like?

Camille Joly: So, it truly varies from person to person, but many people attend therapy from a few weeks to months depending on their personal goals and so on.

Host: Okay. And how do you go about helping patients find that voice that feels authentic? I know we kind of touched on, you know, that's the first thing people hear and experience when they interact with you. So how do you go about finding one that fits somebody?

Camille Joly: So as a speech therapist, the goal is to focus on collaboration and exploration rather than trying to make someone fit this rigid idea of a typical male or typical female voice. Goal is usually to help the person develop a voice that feels natural, sustainable, and personally affirming to them.

Host: Yeah, I think that's important. You want them to have that personal connection to it, for sure. What advice would you give to someone who's considering voice therapy who might be nervous about getting started?

Camille Joly: I think feeling nervous is very common for all of us, and voice is very personal, emotional, and closely connected to identity. Some pointers that may help someone starting this whole process is that you don't need to have it all figured out, that small changes can make the big difference, and that therapy is collaborative and not judgmental. We're centered around the person and individual's own comfort and their goals, and we'll move at the patient's own pace.

Host: Okay. I think that's great knowing that it go at their pace and what they're comfortable for because it is something that's deeply personal. What would you say the biggest thing listeners should take away from this episode is?

Camille Joly: I think oftentimes people may feel isolated and are not aware of the resources that are within our community. I always encourage individuals to give voice therapy a chance, because you never know what you may learn and the impact it may have on your future self.

Host: Yeah. Well, thank you so much for all this great information. And to learn more about rehabilitation and therapy services at Riverside, visit myrhc.net/rehabilitation. Thank you, listeners, for tuning into the Well Within Reach podcast with our guest, Camille Joly, and your host, Liz Unruh. Be sure to like and subscribe to the Well Within Reach podcast on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about services at Riverside Healthcare, visit riversidehealthcare.org.