For Clinicians

This page is for ENTs, laryngologists, speech and language therapists, voice clinic coordinators, and any clinician considering whether to refer a singer to me.

I take referrals from clinical colleagues for singers and other professional voice users with non-pathological functional voice issues — most commonly primary Muscle Tension Dysphonia (MTD), post-viral and post-illness vocal fatigue, technique-driven vocal strain, and voice habilitation work alongside or following SLT input. I also offer Laryngeal Manual Therapy (vocal massage) as a standalone treatment for referred singers and voice users.

Scope of practice

I work with healthy voices that are functioning poorly. My scope is voice habilitation and functional voice coaching — not clinical voice rehabilitation, and not active voice pathology.

I am not a clinician, and I do not perform diagnostic assessment. I expect that any singer presenting with concerning vocal symptoms has already had — or will be referred for — videostroboscopic assessment in a specialist voice clinic, ideally one with multidisciplinary team access, before commencing work with me.

If a singer reaches me without that assessment in place, my first step is to recommend they obtain one, and where possible to point them toward an appropriate clinic. I do not take on singers in active pathology, in undiagnosed dysphonia of more than two to three weeks, or with symptoms suggesting laryngeal pathology, neurological involvement, or any condition outside my scope. In those cases I refer back to the referring clinician, or onward to a specialist voice clinic, before any work begins.

The work I do undertake includes:

  • Singing voice technique work for singers cleared of pathology but presenting with primary MTD, post-viral vocal fatigue, or technique-driven strain
  • Voice habilitation work post-SLT discharge, where the singing voice requires further specific work to return to professional capacity
  • Pre-emptive voice care for working singers and other voice professionals managing high vocal demand
  • Laryngeal Manual Therapy (described in detail below), as a standalone treatment or alongside coaching

I do not undertake speech therapy, swallow therapy, paediatric voice work, or work with neurological voice disorders.

Laryngeal Manual Therapy

I am qualified in Laryngeal Manual Therapy (commonly known as vocal massage), having completed Stephen King's Vocal Massage Intensive training programme at the Voice Care Centre — the UK's leading qualification in this practise.

The training covers palpation and soft-tissue treatment across the neck and postural musculature, jaw and TMJ, intra-oral work, and laryngeal manipulation. Treatment is delivered within a biopsychosocial, person-centred, relational framework, grounded in trauma-aware practice and the EQUATION consent framework (Flock and King, 2022). My approach reflects the wider VCC philosophy: the voice is treated in the context of the whole person, with consent, attunement, and clinical reasoning at the core of every session.

Conditions and presentations I treat include:

  • Primary Muscle Tension Dysphonia
  • Jaw and TMJ tension affecting voice production
  • Postural and cervical tension contributing to vocal symptoms
  • Post-viral and post-illness vocal fatigue with persistent muscular tension components
  • Maintenance work for working voices managing sustained high demand

I work with referred singers and voice users post-discharge from voice therapy, alongside ongoing SLT or osteopathic care, or as part of coordinated voice care. I do not treat in active pathology and refer back where presentations fall outside scope.

Training and accreditations

  • MA in Vocal Studies, University of York
  • Vocal Health First Aider, Vocal Health Education
  • Qualified in Laryngeal Manual Therapy (Vocal Massage), Voice Care Centre
  • Currently completing the Vocal Habilitation Professional qualification, Vocal Health Education
  • Accredited member, Vocal Health Education
  • Member, British Voice Association
  • Member, Association of Teachers of Singing

I aim to attend BVA, AOTOS and BLA events regularly, and I maintain ongoing CPD across vocal health, habilitation, voice science, and manual therapy.

How I work with referrers

When a singer is referred to me, I will:

  • Confirm receipt of the referral with the referring clinician
  • Establish at the initial consultation what assessment and treatment has already taken place, and what the agreed scope of my involvement should be
  • Communicate with the referring clinician at clinically relevant moments — concerns arising, scope questions, progress updates if appropriate, or completion of an agreed course of work
  • Provide brief written summaries of work undertaken, where helpful for inclusion in patient notes
  • Refer back without hesitation if the singer's presentation changes or falls outside what I'm trained to address

I am comfortable working as part of a wider voice team — alongside ongoing SLT, post-discharge from voice therapy, in coordinated care with osteopaths or manual therapists, or as part of a multidisciplinary care plan for a professional singer with complex needs.

I am building toward a multidisciplinary practice model. As that develops, I will continue to be transparent with clinical colleagues about which work sits within my own scope and which is delivered through trusted associate practitioners.

How a singer is referred

The simplest route is for the clinician to give the singer my contact details and ask them to mention the referral when they book a consultation. I will then make contact with the referring clinician to confirm and establish scope.

For coordinated care plans, or if you'd prefer to make contact directly before the singer reaches me, please email me at the address below.

Contact

For referrals or to discuss whether a particular singer is appropriate for my practice:

referrals@theworkingvoicepractice.com

I aim to respond to clinical correspondence within one working day.