Transgender voice feminisation is a vital aspect of being perceived as female with clients often saying ‘I am perceived as a woman until I open my mouth’.
Despite an increase in trans women being referred for voice feminisation therapy, there are only a very limited number of speech and language therapists (SLTs) who offer specialist male-to-female or MtF voice training.
There is so much more to communication than the pitch of someone’s voice.
So trans voice feminisation is about more than pitch?
The short answer is yes.
If you think about Mariella Frostrup, Dame Judie Dench and Joanna Lumley, they all have voices that are deeper than that of the average female. Yet, they sound female because of the way they speak – the words (more adjectives), intonation (rise and fall of the voice) and so on.
More specifically, an SLT will work on communication and social skills; everything from gesture (women tend to use their hands more), intonation, language, increased eye contact, use of questions rather than statements, resonance (head vs chest) and the all important telephone voice.
What happens at the initial session?
The initial session is two hours, and includes the following:
- A complete case history is taken.
- I will assess your voice to measure your average pitch, including the pitch range (highest and lowest notes).
- I will explain how voice is produced, the difference between male and female communication and vocal hygiene.
- I will then show you exercises to ensure that your voice is not strained whilst raising the pitch.
- I will introduce you to the software we use for sessions and practise.
- At the end, you will receive voice exercises to practise at home after the session, and handouts with further information about TG voice and communication.
Therapy sessions
Trans voice feminisation sessions are usually every other week. As you progress, the frequency of the sessions decrease.
After each session, you will receive practice materials – both physical and digital copies with MP3 recordings.
Throughout the process, if a report is required for your GP or consultant at any point, this will be produced and sent at no extra cost.
How will I know I am practising at the correct pitch?
During the MtF voice training session, we use software called Sing and See, which provides visual feedback on pitch.
I strongly recommend that you purchase a copy so that when you practise the vocal exercises, you are doing so at the correct pitch, therefore ‘embedding’ the new habit. It is an extremely effective piece of software for transgender voice feminisation training.
Sing and See is compatible with Windows and Mac OS X.
Transgender voice feminisation samples
Client A
Age: early 20’s
Pre therapy:
Post therapy:
Client B
Age: early 30’s
Read her testimonial
Pre therapy:
Post therapy:
Client C
Age: late 50’s
Read her testimonial
Pre therapy:
Post therapy:
Cost
Prices are available upon request.
Location
Transgender voice feminisation sessions are online via Zoom.
Testimonials
I’d always wanted an authentic female voice, but never felt like it was something I could achieve. Celia proved me completely wrong. Our sessions together taught me that with hard work I could achieve my dream, while the exercises she set gave shape to those long, boring pandemic evenings. MtF voice training enabled me to grow into the woman I am today. It was a godsend.
I’ve been using my voice every day for the past 6 months, and I couldn’t be happier. Working with Celia gave me the confidence to be myself at work, with my friends, and in everyday life. She’s also a genuinely lovely person, and I went into every session knowing that we were working towards the same goal. She helped me achieve that goal. I can’t recommend her highly enough.
-HS, Peterborough
Read full testimonial here
Since working with Celia, my life has certainly changed for the better. I now live full-time happily as myself, and do not struggle with being gendered correctly (and definitely in large part attribute this to my voice). Now, the way my voice sounds adds to my confidence rather than detracting from it. It also comes naturally now, and I put no mental thought into maintaining it. I am hugely grateful for everything that has come out of these sessions and I would definitely recommend them to any trans women who aren’t satisfied with their voice.
– CD, London
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“I started out my voice journey extremely nervous and with a lack of confidence that I would ever be able to sound convincingly female. But Celia helped guide me through each step, starting off with very simply and building a real base to work from before moving onto more complex things.
The whole process was, of course, challenging, but Celia really knows her stuff and will make sure you understand each step and are confident in what you have learned before moving onto the next one. At some point throughout my MtF voice training journey, everything just ‘clicked’ and I am now really happy and confident with using my new voice and have been mistaken for my sister on the phone on many occasions!
It may seem really daunting starting out, but Celia can help you develop a new voice that feels authentic to you.”– CC, Southampton
Celia is a fantastic speech therapist who knows her craft extremely well and is very professional.
However, what really makes her stand out for me is that she truly cares about her clients and her doing the best for them. Celia is not someone who is just there to do a job and collect her fee, it is obvious that she genuinely cares about her clients and trans people in general, and more than anything just wants to help us succeed in our transitions.
– EF, Hampshire
Read full testimonial here