Voice and Communication Therapy with Trans and Non-Binary People

Matthew Mills is a Lead Specialist Speech and Language Therapist and Head of Speech Therapy at the 'Charing Cross' Gender Identity Clinic, London. He is a National Advisor for the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists in trans and non-binary voice and communication therapy and isthe President of the British Association of Gender Identity Specialists. He gives training and presents on transgender voice and communication in the UK and at international conferences. Gillie Stoneham is a Senior Lecturer at Plymouth Marjon University and an Advanced Specialist Speech and Language Therapist at the 'Charing Cross' Gender Identity Clinic, London. She also runs a consultancy specialising in voice and personal impact coaching. She presents on transgender voice and communication in the UK and at international conferences. Meg-John Barker is a writer, therapist, and activist-academic specialising in sex, gender and relationships. They are a senior lecturer in psychology at the Open University. @megjohnbarker on Twitter.

Complementing their previous self-help book for trans people, the same authors have now turned their attention to helping speech and language therapists develop their own skills too, harnessing a wide range of expert knowledge. I had always imagined SLT to be a discipline mainly focused on technique and exercise. What I got from this book, above all, was an understanding that it is a far more holistic process, reaching into the psychological domain and framing identity as the foundation of vocal presentation.

• Introduction. 1. The Gender Space: Towards Effective Allyship. 2. The Psychological Space: Therapeutic Alliance. 3. The Vocal Space: Felt Sense and Coaching. 4. The Social Space: Contextual Awareness. 5. Space: Building Communities. Conclusion.