Voice and Communication Therapy for the Transgender/Gender Diverse Client: A Comprehensive Clinical Guide, Third Edition

Richard K. Adler · Sandy Hirsch · Jack Pickering

Dec 2018 · Plural Publishing

About this ebook

Voice and Communication Therapy for the Transgender/Gender Diverse Client: A Comprehensive Clinical Guide, Third Edition remains a must-have resource for speech-language pathologists, voice clinicians and trainers who assist transgender/gender diverse clients in aligning their communication with their gender identity. Such goals for transfeminine, transmasculine and gender diverse people are far from insurmountable given appropriate training. This third edition builds on the work of the first two editions, and meets the clinical and training needs of an even larger and better-informed core of speech language pathologists and trainers.

Enhancements to this edition include significantly expanded chapters on counseling, psychotherapy, theater, non-verbal communication, singing, vocal health, medical considerations, and the historical perspectives on evidence-based research as well as a call to action to meet the needs of trans youth. Chapters cover each aspect of a communication training program, including case studies, summaries, appendices and an extensive bibliography, as well as an outline of therapy protocols and ideas for transmasculine, transfeminine and gender diverse clients.

New to this edition:

A new co-editor, Jack Pickering, brings a fresh perspective from extensive experience in transgender voice and communication trainingA comprehensive chapter addressing research and the voice and communication needs of transmasculine individualsA chapter focusing on the needs of trans youth, future directions in this area, and the role of SLPs with this unique populationA practical chapter on psychotherapy and the relationship between the SLP and psychotherapist/social worker and how these professionals work in tandem to help in the entire transition processA chapter on counseling for the transgender/gender diverse client, with step by step practical information that can also be used for counseling with all populations seen by SLPsA practical chapter on theater giving the perspectives from two transgender actresses' personal experiences, a cisgender actress/voice clinician, and a cisgender voice/theater coach/teacherAn expanded medical chapter outlining foundational information on terminology, development, endocrinology and surgeries as well as the physician's role and best practice in the transition process for each clientUpdated and expanded chapters on the role of multidisciplinary considerations for the transmasculine, transfeminine and gender diverse client, and assessment of these clients, in all aspects of pitch and inflection, the art and science of resonance, non-verbal communication, and group therapy and discharge

This seminal text guides clinicians and trainers who work with the transgender/gender diverse population, in designing and administering a mindful, focused, and appropriate treatment plan. Speech-language pathologists, voice coaches, ENT physicians, professors and anyone working in the areas of voice, singing, and the vocal performing arts, will find this text to be an essential resource.

Disclaimer: Please note that ancillary content (such as documents, audio, and video, etc.) may not be included as published in the original print version of this book.

About the author

Richard K. Adler

Richard K. Adler, PhD, CCC-SLP, ASHA Fellow, is now retired and a Professor Emeritus from Minnesota State University Moorhead, Moorhead, MN. He has a BA in speech correction from Long Island University, Brooklyn, an MA in Speech/Linguistics from New York University, an MA in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Akron, Ohio, and a PhD in Psycholinguistics and Communication from the Ohio University, Athens, Ohio. Dr. Adler's career has spanned nearly 50 years as an SLP in public schools, hospitals, private practice, university teaching, clinical supervision, research, mentoring, consulting, and writing. He has published many articles on such subjects as Teaching, Voice and Communication for Transgender individuals, Voice Disorders, Counseling, and TBI.

Sandy Hirsch

Sandy Hirsch, MS, CCC-SLP, is a private practitioner with Give Voice in Seattle, WA. She received her BA in French and Classics with a minor in music (singing) in 1981 from Lancaster University, UK. Following, she pursued a career in theatre and moved to the United States from London in 1982. Ms. Hirsch received her MS in Speech and Hearing Sciences from the University of Washington in 1989. She has been an ASHA-certified SLP since 1990, focusing on voice and neurological disorders. She has practiced in hospital and school settings. For over 25 years, Ms. Hirsch has made voice and communication modification with gender diverse people the focus of her private practice. She is a member of the Ingersoll Transgender Professional Consult Group in Seattle, WA, WPATH, CPATH, the Voice Foundation, the Northwest Chapter of the Voice Foundation, VASTA and WSHLA.

Jack Pickering

Jack Pickering, PhD, CCC-SLP, is a Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders at The College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York and speech-language pathologist for Capital Region ENT. For over 10 years, he has directed the college's Voice and Communication Program for People in the Transgender Community with Dan Kayajian, MS, CCC-SLP. Jack has been an ASHA-certified SLP since 1984, focusing on the assessment and treatment of voice disorders. He received his BA and MA from the University of Maine, and his doctoral degree in Speech and Hearing Sciences at Ohio University in 1990. His teaching interests include voice disorders, transgender voice and communication, motor speech disorders, and counseling for communication disorders.