Blog: Speech Therapy Tips, Voice Care, & Gender-Affirming Voice Insights

The holiday season is a time of joy, gratitude, and togetherness, often centered around delicious meals and cherished family recipes. However, for individuals with swallowing disorders, known as dysphagia, these food-centered holidays can present unique challenges. At Blue Ridge Speech and Voice, we understand the emotional impact that dysphagia can have during the winter holidays. In this article, we hope to provide education on dysphagia and offer guidance on how to navigat

Most adults experience a hoarse voice at some point in our lives. If you've ever experienced a hoarse voice, you know how frustrating and limiting it can be. Fortunately, speech therapy can offer a solution to this common issue. At Blue Ridge Speech and Voice, we specialize in helping adults regain their vocal clarity and confidence. Read on to learn how speech therapy can effectively address hoarseness and restore your voice to its full potential. Understanding Hoarseness:

For individuals seeking to align their voice with their gender identity, speech therapy can be a transformative journey. Understanding the general expectations and process of transgender voice modification can help individuals feel more prepared and empowered as they embark on this path. Read on to learn more about the typical steps involved in speech therapy for transgender voice modification, from the initial consultation to achieving voice goals. 1. The Consultation Call:

Aging is just not about losing youth - it’s a natural part of life that ushers in a new stage of opportunity and strength. Speech therapy for aging adults can help expand on that strength. As we get older, we may start to experience difficulties with communication, including speech, language, and cognitive retention. Speech therapy for older adults can help retain and improve communication and cognitive function. What communicative challenges can older adults face? Speech Art

Discover the transformative power of music in treating aphasia with Blue Ridge Speech and Voice. Blue Ridge Speech and Voice offers dedicated speech therapy for adults. Our speech language pathologists are passionate about helping stroke survivors and individuals with aphasia regain their ability to communicate. Melodic Intonation Therapy (MIT) is an innovative and effective approach that can make a significant difference in the lives of those affected by aphasia. What is Aph

From speaking to reading and writing, we communicate and express ourselves everyday. The nuanced connection between speech therapy and mental health comes from understanding language and cognition through emotional resilience. In strengthening or modifying your speech and voice skills, speech therapy can aid your overall mental wellness. Let’s take a look at five ways speech therapy can connect and improve mental health. 1. Speech Therapy Builds Confidence and Self-Esteem A c

Speech therapy practices such as Blue Ridge Speech and Voice are dedicated to helping people regain their communication abilities and improve their quality of life. In speech therapy, you’ll work on different vocal exercises catered to meet your goals. What you work on during a consultation corresponds with what you specifically seek to improve. Brush up on what to know before meeting with a speech language pathologist. Whether you are a stroke survivor or seeking voice modif

It’s important to know about speech language pathologists and what they can help improve. Furthermore, it’s important to know about the environment you’re stepping into as you embark on your speech therapy journey. Let’s explore the fundamentals of what to know before meeting with a speech language pathologist. What is a speech language pathologist? The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, or ASHA, describes speech language pathologists as “experts in communication.”

In the current year of 2023, the UCLA Williams Institute estimates that 1.3 million adults identify as transgender in the United States. That’s roughly 0.5% of the population! The findings also showed that 11% of LGBTQ+ adults identify as non-binary. View the full data reports here and here. When transgender or nonbinary individuals enroll in speech therapy, such as at Blue Ridge Speech & Voice, they receive one-on-one professional coaching to help align their voice with thei

1) You can learn voicing exercises to help you broaden your pitch range, doing so in a healthy way that avoids creating excessive tension. 2) You can learn how to brighten or darken your resonance, depending on your goals. 3) You can learn feminine or masculine speech patterns to work on oral resonance shifting, inflection, cadence, and breath flow. 4) You get guided, individualized education, feedback, and tips from a licensed speech therapist with over 10 years of experienc

When it comes to gender-affirming voice modification, many people think that it’s mostly about learning to use a different pitch. I often hear new clients say that they want to get their pitch to around 220 Hz in order to achieve a more feminine voice. But the fact is, it’s not all about pitch. My own (cisgender female) voice is around 180 Hz, which is fairly low but still within the "normal" pitch range for women, both trans and cis. So how else can you modify your voice if

One glaring issue with healthcare in our country is the lack of affordable options and the lack of accessibility that impact so many Americans. Blue Ridge Speech and Voice is helping the community by providing cutting edge speech therapy via mobile services and online Telepractice, and by accepting some of the major insurances offered in North Carolina. Many of my clients have disabilities and therefore have difficulty leaving their home for outpatient speech therapy. Many ar

COVID-19 currently has nations on lockdown and people doing their best to practice social distancing to prevent the spread of the disease. However, the pandemic doesn't stop people from needing services, including those for speech and voice. If you find yourself wanting services at this time, you should know that evaluation and treatment are still feasible. I offer Telepractice/Telehealth services which allow you to work on your goals from your computer, without risking socia

Nonbinary and transgender welcome! Many people think that the only good option for a transgender person to modify their voice is through surgery. But did you know that surgery only changes pitch? Voice is more complex than just pitch, however. You know how some cis women have naturally deep husky voices (check out clips of actress Shoreh Aghdashloo), but they still sound distinctly feminine? That's because you're also noting breathiness, cadence, speech sound differences, res