Our team is trained and experienced in both surgical and non-surgical (voice therapy) means of aligning your voice with your gender. During your visit to the Emory Voice Center, you’ll meet with several members of our team, including voice-specialized speech-language pathologists (SLP) and ear nose and throat physicians to help identify what treatment options are best.
Voice therapy for transgender/gender non-conforming individuals is a patient-led process. The job of the SLP is to help the patient dicover the voice that is most aligned with his/her/their gender identity in a healthy, efficient, sustainable way. Individual and group therapy may be appropriate. An average of 8 sessions is typical, but this number will vary based on each patient’s individual needs.
Surgical intervention is viewed as an adjunct to voice therapy and can be used to both modulate the pitch of the voice as well as change the outward appearance of the neck. Several surgical procedures can be utilized including endoscopic approaches such as the Wendler glottoplasty, open framework procedures like cricothyroid approximation, and thyroid cartilage shaves.
Our team also includes financial counselors to help identify cost-effective ways to deliver care to our patients.