The Professional Voice Care Center

Welcome to the Professional Voice Care Center, where our mission is to create or restore excellent voices, both speaking and singing. Our Hicksville, N.Y. facility offers state-of-the-art care to service the unique needs of those who depend on their voices for their livelihood. Individuals in this category include performers (i.e. singers, actors, broadcasters, etc.), teachers, executives, attorneys, salespeople, lecturers, customer service representatives, and anyone else who uses his/her voice in a professional setting. Services include Voice Therapy, Singing Instruction, Audition Preparation, foreign and regional Accent Modification, and Executive Speech Training. Our unique Therapeutic Singing Lessons are custom-tailored to meet the needs of singers with voice problems. We offer services for Parkinson’s Voice, Gender-Affirming Voice Training, and Vocal Image Enhancement.  We focus on the prevention of vocal problems while improving voice skills through a customized program of vocal abuse reduction and vocal hygiene (i.e., vocal conservation, hydration, avoidance of over-drying medications and caffeine, establishment of anti-reflux regimens, etc.). If you are searching for gender-affiming voice training in New York, contact the Professional Voice Care Center today! Additionally, our staff of licensed and certified speech-language pathologists and myofunctional therapists offers evaluation and individualized treatment for a variety of communication disorders, including: Articulation, Fluency (Stuttering), and Tongue Thrust/Reverse Swallowing Pattern.  Many health insurance companies reimburse for covered speech, voice, and myofunctional therapy services. Our Center participates in numerous insurance plans. Click here to learn more about the health insurance plans we participate in. The Center serves clients throughout Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Alternatively, we can provide you with a variety of online platforms for long-distance voice and singing training.  We’re happy to offer you singing lessons in the comfort of your Long Island home (depending on location). All services are available for children age 5 through adult. We look forward to working with you and helping you achieve your voice-oriented goals. If you are searching for gender-affirming voice training in New York, contact the Professional Voice Care Center today!

About the Director | Karen Sussman

Karen Sussman, M.A., CCC, celebrity voice trainer and vocologist, is the Director of the Professional Voice Care Center, located in Hicksville, NY. She has been a licensed speech pathologist, voice therapist, speech trainer, and singing specialist since 1981. Karen has trained thousands of performers, executives, teachers, attorneys, sales reps, and other professionals to achieve excellent speaking and/or singing voices and eliminate voice and speech problems.

If you are searching for gender-affirming voice training in New York, contact the Professional Voice Care Center today!

As a singer-actress, Karen has a special interest and expertise in professional voice/speech training. She has lectured extensively for hospital otolaryngology departments, voice and speech symposia, corporations, choirs, and continuing education programs. She has appeared on television and radio shows devoted to voice care and accent reduction. Karen authored a book chapter on voice care for performers and wrote a journal article on voice care for fitness instructors.

Karen is certified by, and a member of, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and holds New York and California State Licenses in Speech Pathology. She is a member of NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing), and VASTA (Voice and Speech Trainers Association), as well as Long Island and New York State Speech-Language-Hearing Associations. Karen Sussman is a Voiceworks Associate Voice Instructor.

Karen is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Doctors’ Choice Awards DCA Top 100, the DCA City Winner in Hicksville NY, and the Distinguished Woman in Health Services from the Town of Oyster Bay Women of Distinction Awards. Her practice was selected as an Opencare Patients’ Choice Winner. She was also nominated for Best Speech-Language Pathologist by the Bethpage Best of Long Island contest.

Karen, a Hofstra University graduate (B.S. in Music/Voice Performance and M.A. in Speech-Language Pathology), lives on Long Island. When not working with clients or performing, Karen’s passions include hiking the great outdoors and long walks with her dogs.

If you are searching for gender-affirming voice training in New York, contact the Professional Voice Care Center today!

Gender-Affirming VoiceTraining

 

If you are searching for gender-affirming voice training in New York, contact the Professional Voice Care Center today!

The transgender individual, especially the trans woman, is often in need of voice modification. After all, use of testosterone by transgender men helps to make their voices deeper. However, estrogen taken by transgender women typically does not make their voices higher. Even if you opt to have laryngeal surgery, it has been found that voice training before and after surgery is more effective than just surgery alone.

Of course, pitch isn’t the only aspect of voice that determines if you sound masculine or feminine. Other factors include vocal resonance, volume, intonation, and voice quality.

But even beyond the voice itself, there are many factors that, if incongruent, can cause someone to be misgendered. These can include posture/alignment, how you walk and sit, use of gesture and facial expression, speech articulation, speech rhythm/flow, and use of certain vocabulary and grammatical constructs. If you are searching for gender-affirming voice in New York, contact the Professional Voice Care Center today!

Could it be that some of these issues cause you not to pass in your desired gender presentation? In today’s sometimes-challenging society, a voice that doesn’t match your gender identity may even lead to harassment, discrimination, or safety issues. Clearly, achieving authenticity is an important goal, but it may seem overwhelming to have to deal with all the above-mentioned factors, along with the physical issues of hair restoration, facial feminization and gender-affirming surgeries. So, let a trained communication specialist guide you through this process.

At the Professional Voice Care Center, we offer gender-affirming voice training in New York including a comprehensive holistic program that covers all aspects of feminine communication style. This includes voice pitch modification and development of more gender-appropriate inflection/intonation, articulation, gestures, facial expression, vocabulary and grammatical style. Posture/alignment, relaxation strategies, breath control, and reduction of voice-related muscle tension are also covered. (If you’ve tried to modify your voice on your own using YouTube or other DIY videos, you may have already encountered vocal strain. We fix that, too!).

Gender-Affirming Voice  in New York

We also support your psychosocial well-being. All our services are delivered in a safe, supportive, and welcoming environment here at our Center, or even using telepractice (i.e., online service delivery). Our goal: to help our transgender clients develop comfort and confidence using a new style of communication that conveys authenticity and congruence. Let us help you express your true self!

If you are searching for gender-affirming voice training in New York, contact the Professional Voice Care Center today!

Call Us to Schedule Today!

(516) 433-1822

If you want more information about any of our services, either at our Center or via Skype, feel free to fill out the form below. A Voice Care Coordinator will get back to you as soon as possible.

Gender-Affirming Voice Training

If you are searching for gender-affirming voice training in New York, then contact Karen Sussman at the Professional Voice Care Center!

Gender-affirming voice training involves using non-surgical techniques to train a voice to either sound more feminine or more masculine by modifying your voice. Often, trans people do not feel fully able to pass their desired presentation of gender without their voice being modified. If you are transgender, you may want to change the way your voice sounds. With the right vocal training, you can healthily change your voice. Without a voice therapist, you may damage your voice by making it raspier or possibly losing your voice. Many people look to using YouTube or DIY videos to train their voice but end up further damaging it.

Often, a trans woman is in more need of voice modification than a trans male. This is because estrogen taken by a transgender woman does not help modify the voice as testosterone helps with the voice of transgender men. With gender-affirming voice training, they will specifically listen to your pitch and the way you use your voice to help closer match your voice with how you choose to identify yourself. With gender-affirming voice training in New York, Karen Sussman covers all aspects of gender-affirming voice training to best help you!

What Does Gender-Affirming Voice TrainingSpecifically Work On?

At the Professional Voice Care Center, we take a holistic approach that covers all feminine communication style aspects. Yes, there are surgical options for altering their voice but are proven not to be as effective as voice training therapy. Our gender-affirming voice training in New York includes:

• Voice Pitch Modification
• Articulation
• Gestures/Facial Expression
• Vocabulary/Grammatical Style
• Posture/Alignment
• Relaxation strategies and breath control
• Reduction of Voice Related Muscle Tension

Gender-Affirming Voice Training in New York

We focus on more than just the pitch of your voice. We help work on all aspects of the voice such as resonance, volume, intonation, and voice quality. At the Professional Voice Care Center, we are here to support you every step of the way in helping you express your true self. Our services are in a safe and supportive environment that is also offered in the comfort of your own home through skype. Make an appointment to receive gender-affirming voice training in New York and take the next step to your voice training today!

Advantages of Working with a Vocal Coach

If you are searching for gender-affirming voice training in New York, contact the Professional Voice Care Center today!

Our voice is one of our most distinguishing traits. We utilize our voice every day, whether we’re talking, singing, or even breathing. Our vocal cords are constantly being used, which is why it’s important to work with a vocal coach to ensure we’re using it correctly and keeping our vocal health in check.

There are so many benefits to working with a vocal coach, but we recognize that going for lessons can be intimidating, which is why we offer gender-affirming voice training in New York Our professional vocal coach can help train you to sing and speak effectively within the comfort of your own home.

Working with a professional vocal coach can give you confidence in yourself that you didn’t know you had. While using your voice, you are putting yourself out there and making yourself vulnerable. With training, you can do this with conviction and feel confident in your abilities. With gender-affirming voice training in New York, you can reach your goals more easily with our experienced, talented coach, Karen Sussman.

Some of the greatest advantages of working with a vocal coach include:

• Improved Posture – One of the things a vocal coach can help you remedy is bad posture. When your posture slumps, so do your voice and your confidence. A professional vocal coach can train you to stand and sit up straight in order to look better, breathe better, and sound better.

• Reduced Sleep Problems – Training your throat muscles helps you sleep better! Working these muscles out can strengthen them and prevent snoring and breathing issues while you catch your Z’s.

• Broadened Communication Skills – Training your voice not only helps with singing but with speaking as well. You will learn how to communicate effectively through the pitch, tone, volume, and confidence of your voice for singing and all kinds of communication.

• Reduced Stress – When a vocal coach trains you, one of the big things you will learn is how important proper breathing is. Using your diaphragm muscles to breathe properly will not only train your voice to sound better, but it will reduce stress as well. Deep breathing exercises help keep stress and anxiety at bay.

• Better Vocal Range – Of course, working with a vocal coach will also improve your vocal range. Singing is about expressing emotions through a melody, and having a good vocal range is essential. You may think that you don’t have a wide range, but a professional vocal coach can help you train your muscles to open up your range and bring it to new levels.

Gender-Affirming Voice Training in New York

If you’re looking to improve your voice and receive all of the above advantages, contact us at Professional Voice Care Center. We provide:

• Singing Lessons
• Audition Preparation
• Voice modification
• Accent modification
• Executive speech skills
• Speech-language services

Contact us at Professional Voice Care Center to receive quality gender-affirming voice training in New York and gain a wealth of benefits from our vocal coach.

If you are searching for gender-affirming voice training in New York, contact the Professional Voice Care Center today!

Click on one of our many services for more information

(516) 433-1822

If you want more information on any of our services, or you are interested in singing lessons at your home, feel free to fill out the form below. We will get back to you as soon as possible.