Why Clients Choose Prismatic
Expert Clinicians Who Share Your Experience
Every clinician is a licensed, ASHA-certified speech-language pathologist who has received additional education on providing gender-affirming voice work, and most are trans and/or non-binary themselves. You won't have to explain yourself or justify your goals, simply show up as you are.
Tailored Plans, No Prescribed Presentation
There's no single combination of vocal qualities that's "right" for everyone of a certain gender. Your voice needs to reflect who you are and what you want out of your presentation. If you're uncertain what your goals are, we'll work together to clarify them, identify actionable modifications to your voice that you like, and adjust our plans as you learn more about your voice and how to control it.
Evening & Weekend Availability
Several of our clinicians have appointment slots available outside the typical work week so as to accomodate busy work and school schedules. Check our free consultation page to view clinicians available in your state and check their current hours.
Testimonials
I had tried to do voice work on my own with free videos, but I was never able to produce a voice that matched my appearance. I am now able to transition without the risk of my voice inhibiting my ability to do my job or interact with people on a daily basis. As an added bonus, I actually don't dread listening to recordings of myself anymore!
As a transgender man who has not yet started testosterone therapy, I decided to try voice therapy. Kevin helped me so much with my voice dysphoria - would highly recommend to anyone seeking gender-affirming voice therapy! They don't make generalizations about what you want to get out of the therapy. It's a very individualized process!
Hear Real Client Results
Before-and-after recordings of clients who we've worked with and gave explicit consent to share these comparisons.
Transfeminine Samples
Transmasculine Samples
What is Gender-Affirming Voice Work?
Gender-affirming voice training (also called trans voice training, voice feminization, or voice masculinization) helps you learn how to control different qualities of your voice, explore said qualities to find a combination that feels congruent with who you are, and use that combination as broadly as you see fit. For many transgender and non-binary people, voice is a source of anxiety and dysphoria. It can lead to avoiding social situations, staying quiet at work, and dreading everyday calls. Voice training is a safe, vocally healthy, evidence-based option. Our clinicians are culturally informed (most are trans themselves!) and focus on building vocal flexibility and stamina so your voice brings more euphoria and less dysphoria.
Watch: Common Targets
Kevin demonstrates pitch, resonance, and vocal weight shaping techniques.
Voice Training for Every Gender & Transition Stage
- Tranfeminine clients seeking a lighter, brighter voice that holds up in conversation, on the phone, and at work.
- Transmasculine clients working on lowering pitch and darkening resonance, regardless of testosterone usage.
- Non-binary clients looking for flexibility, neutrality, or a voice that can shift with context.
- Clients at any point in transition, including those who haven't socially transitioned or are questioning where they want to go.
- Detransitioners or retransitioners looking to unlearn habits or compensate for testosterone application.
What to Expect Over Time
Whether you start seeing results in conversation after session one is fully dependent on your comfort level and confidence; some clients begin applying voice modification techniques right away, others build control and stamina with private practice to reduce the amount of concentration it takes to maintain their target voice before using it socially. After every session, we provide a home exercise plan that is customized to your stage of voice practice, and we recommend every client practice at least 30 minutes per day to build strength and coordination and maintain forward momentum. Progress depends on your goals, your independent motivation to practice, and the voice skills you've already learned outside of your work with Prismatic. Our work together ends when you feel ready to venture forth on your own without the support of a speech-language pathologist. Every discharged client gets a free follow-up session they can use anytime in case any unexpected voice challenges arise.
“When I decided to work on my voice, I didn’t really expect that I would accomplish much… I’m amazed at how much of a difference a few months of training have made.” — Jessie (they/she)
What We Typically Work On
Pitch
High, Low
How high or low the source of your voice is, and how to find a range that feels like you.
Resonance
Bright, Dark
How your pitch is warped by the size and shape of the throat, mouth, and nose.
Vocal Weight
Gentle, Bold
The degree of impact between the vocal folds: the less contact, the more soft a voice is; the more contact, the more full a voice is.
Prosody
Varied, Steady
How pitch, rate, volume, and emphasis rise and fall along a phrase or sentence.
Vocal Hygiene
Water intake, Healthy Projection
Ensuring that your voice is healthy reduces the chance of developing vocal injuries and makes vocal training easier.
Stamina
Length, Intensity
Your voice needs to meet the demands of your personal and professional life. Build up length of voice usage and decrease mental focus required to sustain.
Non-Verbals
A broad category including body language, facial expressivity, and proxemics.
Reflexive Sounds
Hard to control subconscious sounds, such as coughing, laughing, sneezing, and burping.
Gender-Affirming Voice Training FAQ
I'm early on in my transition; should I seek trans vocal training?
Where you are in your transition should not prevent you from seeking services you believe will improve your quality of life. Clients from all stages of transition, including not transitioning, seek trans vocal training. If you are very early on in exploring your identity or are unsure if trans vocal training, you are highly encouraged to book a free 30-minute consultation so we can discuss your specific voice and our speech-language pathologists can answer any questions you have.
I'm (insert gender here); can I receive trans vocal training?
Absolutely! People of all genders are welcome to take trans vocal training. From our perspective, the most important factor in deciding to book an appointment or not is if you are dysphoric, dissatisfied, or curious about your voice, and want assistance in building your vocal control and stamina.
What if I don't know what I want out of this process?
Part of the clinician's job is to help you formulate and refine goals. We don't believe in telling our clients what they must do with their voice; rather, to ask questions and propose experiments so we can tease out what you like about your voice, and move away from qualities you're not as big a fan of.
Which clinician should I work with?
Certain clinicians are licensed in certain states; if you look at our booking page and select your state of residence, we'll let you know what your options are. If you have more than one clinician to choose between, you can look at their bios on our "About Us" page, as well as their availability listed in the booking widget on the booking page.
How soon can I expect to see results?
This is a difficult question to answer — truly, you can start using the techniques in conversation after your first session, if you're feeling up to it. That decision can only be made by you, and the speed at which you reach that level of comfort comes down to a number of factors, including what flexibility you already have and how much daily practice you get in. Generally we recommend a minimum of 30 minutes of daily practice, moving towards more full-time practice as your skills develop.
Do you accept insurance? What's the overall cost of this work?
Please see our Pricing, Cost, and Insurance page.
Will testosterone change my voice, and do I still need training?
A lower pitch and heavier vocal weight are common effects of increasing testosterone levels; however:
- The extent of that pitch lowering is unpredictable
- Testosterone doesn't impact the other qualities we typically target, such as resonance
- The speaker can have difficulties with stamina and volume due to the increased density of the vocal folds
...all this to say, it comes down to how anxious you are about your voice changing, and if you're satisfied with your results!
Does estrogen change my voice?
Aside from a few anecdotal accounts, all current evidence suggests that estrogen does not impact voice production. Once a body has been exposed to testosterone, gender-affirming voice work is the main non-surgical option for voice feminization.
Is voice training an alternative to surgery?
For many clients, yes; they can achieve a voice they're satisfied with and sustain it across a variety of contexts. For those who pursue vocal feminization surgery (VFS), the standards of care followed by most surgeons dictate that working with a speech-language pathologist is required both before and after surgery, to resolve any voice disorders that may exist before surgery such as excess muscle tension; and to help the client safely and hygienically begin voicing again after a few weeks of vocal rest post-surgery. We're not interested in unilaterally encouraging or discouraging clients from pursuing surgery; we want to give you all the information we can so you can make the most informed choice possible.
The People You'll Work With
Your clinician depends on the state you live in. Every one of them specializes in gender-affirming voice care, and each brings something different: Kevin’s background in voice acting and a capella singing, Cristel’s experience with multilingual clients exploring their voices in Korean and Mandarin, Crysta’s experience as a chorus member of TRANScend, and more. See who serves your state on our About page, or choose your state on the booking page to see available times.