Dr Elizabeth Kay, PhD

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. 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. 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. The specific goals of the therapy are determined according to the needs and abilities of the client. Accordingly, techniques may include: voice development exercises, breathing methods, singing pre-existing or personal songs, vocal improvisation, rhythmic vocal work, deepening the body-mind connection through the voice, discovering and releasing the multitude of expressive possibilities inherent in the voice, developing the various vocal components and more. I assess every individual’s suitability to music or voice therapy through an initial intake session. No prior musical or vocal training are necessary. I further provide parent counseling and supervision for educational and professional staff.