What are the steps of a therapy session?

Flowchart showing treatment process: 1) Free Phone Consultation, 2) Assessment, 3) Defining Objectives, 4) Start of the Treatment, 5) Progress Evaluation, 6) Maintaining Progress and Follow-Up.

Is vocal speech therapy the same for everyone?

No, this is a general outline to give you an idea. Each treatment path (preventive, skill training, rehabilitative) is different, with variations in assessment terms and objectives. Even two people with the same clinical condition are unlikely to have identical therapy paths: their history and needs influence the approach used.

See Speech Therapy Programs in More Detail

Prevention

Immagine di una diga, rappresenta il percorso di prevenzione per le patologie vocali, vocal care, logopedista a firenze

    • Prevention can be done in multiple ways:Courses on vocal hygiene practices tailored for populations at risk of vocal disorders (e.g., teachers, vocal artists, tour guides).

    Secondary Prevention:
    Early identification of dysphonia through screening techniques.


    Courses on the use of various techniques to prevent potential complications arising from a disorder.

    Vocal training for prevention can be individual or group-based, typically involving a combination of "direct" and "indirect" treatment techniques.

    Direct Techniques:
    Focus on physiological changes that improve vocal technique.

    Indirect Techniques:
    Counselling and specific vocal hygiene, explanation of anatomy and physiology, and identification of factors that may cause vocal disorders, along with guidance on how to care for one's voice.

Skill training

Immagine di una persona che corre, rappresenta il percorso di Abilitazione vocale, vocal care, logopedista a firenze

  • Skill training refers to building and strengthening the skills of a "healthy" voice to meet specific needs.

    Some examples include:

    • Being heard in noisy environments (such as a classroom) without straining,

    • Achieving a more feminine or masculine voice,

    • Using a broader dynamic and tonal range with more freedom, etc.

    Skill training always starts with the principles of a "good voice," which are:

    Economy:
    Achieving the best possible results at the lowest cost.

    Effectiveness:
    Appropriate outcome of the vocal product in terms of: expressive act, communicative function, aesthetics, and physical gratification for the speaker.

    Euphony:
    The vocal emission obtained according to the principles of economy and effectiveness, resulting in the best possible signal in relation to the psycho-physical condition of the subject.

Rehabilitation

Immagine di una mano protesa in aiuto, rappresenta il percorso di riabilitazione per le patologie vocali, vocal care, logopedista a firenze

  • Rehabilitation is the recovery of vocal function lost by individuals who have suffered from a vocal disorder or vocal damage.

    Dysphonia refers to:
    "Qualitative and/or quantitative alteration of the spoken, sung (dysodia), or shouted voice, resulting from a structural and/or functional modification of one or more organs involved in its production, or from an inadequacy of the dynamic relationships between the various components of the pneumo-phono-articulatory system" (Schindler O., 2009).

    There could be multiple causes of dysphonia, and each has a specific approach. If you would like to learn more, click here.

Some specific treatments

Gender-affirming voice therapy

pronomi per persona non-binary, rappresenta il percorso logopedico di mascolinizzazione o femminilizzazione della persona transgender, vocal care, logopedista a firenze

  • Gender affirming voice therapy is a multi-skilled training process aimed at helping a transgender person develop a voice that reflects the gender they identify with.

    The objectives are discussed with the speech pathologist but are set by the patient, as they must align with the person’s gender identity, moving beyond the binary paradigm of "male voice/female voice."

    The treatment is divided into key areas:

    • Pitch

    • Prosody (the melody of speech)

    • Timbre management

    • Non-verbal communication

Speech Disorder (Dyslalia)

Lettere che rappresentano i tanti suoni che una persona può pronunciare in modo non corretto, rappresenta la dislalia, vocal care, logopedista a firenze

  • Dyslalia is a disorder in the pronunciation of sounds caused by a defect in the structure or function of the speech apparatus, including the nose, lips, tongue, and pharynx.

    Functional dyslalias include the distortion, substitution, omission, or inversion of a phoneme. They are classified based on the involved phoneme:

    • Rotacism: Modification of the phoneme /r/

    • Sigmatism: Alteration of the phonemes /s/, /z/, /sc/

    • Lambdacism: Alteration of the phoneme /l/

    • Deltacism: Distortion of the phoneme /d/

    • Kappacism (or gammacism): Alteration of guttural sounds

    Organic dyslalias are caused by anatomical alterations. Depending on the organ affected by the pronunciation defect, they are further classified into:

    • Labial dyslalias: Affecting the phonemes /p/, /b/, /m/. They can be congenital, traumatic, surgical, or caused by paralysis.

    • Dental dyslalias: Affecting the pronunciation of /f/, /v/, /l/, /r/, and sibilant consonants /ts/, /dz/, /s/, /z/. They stem from congenital or acquired alterations in the alignment of the arches or bite.

    • Lingual dyslalias: Involve all phonemes produced by the activation of the tongue. They can result from anomalies in the size of the tongue (due to trauma or surgery), scars, or unilateral or bilateral paralysis of the hypoglossal nerve.

    • Palatal dyslalias: Leading to the transformation of occlusive phonemes into nasal sounds. They occur when the division between the nasal and oral cavities is altered due to lesions of the hard palate or modifications of the soft palate.

Online or In-person therapy?

Online

immagine di due computer, sedute online, vocal care, logopedista a firenze

    • easier to schedule / reschedule

    • You can choose where your sessions are held

    • More cost-effective

    • Ideal for those with scheduling or transportation difficulties

    • Online sessions limit the use of certain therapeutic tools and practices which, however, are not always necessary.

    • Dependant on quality of your internet connection.

In-person

studio logopedico vocal care a firenze, sedie, tavolo, finestra, lampade, tappeto, tende

    • The studio is a purpose-built space for voice therapy.

    • There are no physical limitations on therapeutic practices.

    • The space can be adapted in real-time to suit the communicative needs of the therapy.

    • Location dependent

    • Time constraints

    • Slightly more expensive

Do you have any doubts about which mode is right for you? Don't worry, we'll discuss this during the first free consultation.