Dr. Elizabeth Kay Ph.D.

Music and voice therapy are unique creative and expressive therapies that integrate the clinical and evidenced-based use of music and vocal interventions to accomplish personal goals.

Music therapy is a well-established health profession with thousands of studies published in top journals supporting the use of music therapy as a treatment approach for a wide range of populations and conditions. Music therapy is recognized by the Ministry of Health and may only be administered by a board-certified professional that specializes in the field. It involves an interpersonal process during which the therapist incorporates music therapeutically to improve emotional, social, behavioral, cognitive or physical functioning. At the core of every session is any number of musical experiences which are designed according to the goals of each specific therapy. These may include: musical improvisation (using instruments and/or the voice), singing, breathwork, composition and songwriting, individualized listening experiences, symbolic use of musical instruments, musical guided imagery, therapeutic voicework and more.

Voice therapy is an expressive and creative treatment that integrates the clinical and evidenced-based use of vocal interventions to accomplish personal goals. It combines principles from the world of psychotherapy, voice development and vocal coaching with the many therapeutic possibilities inherent in the medium of vocality. Voice therapy may be used to treat emotional difficulties as well as vocal complications that stem from a physical or emotional origin.

Emotional treatment through voice : allows the individual to experience a significant and powerful emotional process through the medium of voice. The therapy may promote personal empowerment, improve self-image, develop self-expression, release emotional barriers, allow exploration of emotional expression and more.

Vocal treatment : may include chronic hoarseness, selective mutism, fluency issues and stuttering, speech delay, vocal pathologies, aphasia, impairment of vocal quality, regulation, expression and more.

I further provide parental counseling and supervision for educational and professional staff.

Challenges that I work with

The goals of music therapy are determined according to the needs and abilities of the client. These are varied and may include: emotional expression, emotional regulation, promoting interpersonal communication, improving social skills, empowerment and improving self esteem, enhancing self awareness, memory preservation and enhancement, promoting personal insights, stress and pain reduction, obtaining tools to deal with anxiety or other challenges. Additional goals may include the development of creativity, musical abilities and the voice in unique ways, personally tailored to each individual.

Voice therapy may further treat vocal issues that stem from an emotional or physical origin. Such issues may include: Hoarseness, stuttering, selective mutism, vocal blockages, asthma, speech delay, vocal disturbances and aphasia following stroke as well as impairment of vocal quality, regulation, expression of emotions and more.

Kinds of people I see

The treatment is suitable for individuals of all ages: children, adolescents, students, adults and seniors. Among the wide variety of difficulties I treat are emotional, behavioral, social, developmental, neurological and vocal conditions.

Which therapy is right for me?

I assess every individual’s suitability to the therapy through an introductory session.

No prior musical or vocal training is necessary.

Why I work in this field

Music and vocality both provide pleasure and relief. They motivate and inspire. They possess the ability to stimulate or to calm and encourage the expression of emotions. The human voice is infinitely variable. It can reflect any physical, emotional or mental state. Music and vocality allow us to access emotions naturally and directly and thereby bypass rigid defense mechanisms. They are powerful therapeutic mediums yet are not perceived as threatening and are not stigmatized. This makes them highly effective in gaining client participation and in circumventing resistance (even in the most difficult of cases).

An additional advantage is that sound and the human voice are pre-verbal communication tools and are thereby not dependent on language or limited to words. As such, they may be used therapeutically to reach beyond words even with those who are non-verbal or verbally restricted.

My experience and background

I am a board-certified music and voice therapist, licensed by the Ministry Of Health, and hold a Ph.D. in the field from Bar-Ilan University. I have extensive clinical experience treating children, adolescents, adults and seniors. Among the conditions I treat are emotional, social, behavioral, developmental and neurological difficulties. I additionally specialize in treating pathological vocal issues stemming from an emotional or physical origin.

I have worked as a music and voice therapist and as a professional staff supervisor with the Israeli Ministry of Health, Education, Defense, Welfare and Social Services, with foster care and governmental psychological services. I have experience working in child development centers, special education schools, homes for children at risk, psychiatric hospitals and hostels, facilities for the handicapped, rehabilitation centers for the hearing impaired and community centers with the elderly.

Today I direct the Lord Taylor Music and Voice Therapy Clinic at the David Yellin Academic College of Education in Jerusalem, supervise professionals and students in the field of music therapy, provide parent counseling and lecture on music therapy and voice therapy. I work with both secular and religious communities.