Speech Pathology | Treatment for Voice Disorders & More

What is Speech Coaching?

If you want to improve the clarity and projection of your speech, if you get nervous before speaking in public, or if you don't love the sound of your voice, you should pursue sessions with our speech coaches.

Speech coaching enhances your speaking voice and communication skills. Working towards a speech goal will generally involve an intersection of several subdisciplines, many of which we've listed below. Speech coaching can include work on clarity, tone, projection, breath, presentation skills, public speaking, accent reduction, preparation technique, executive presence, and many other areas.

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Speaking Voice Enhancement

We create a custom program to help you achieve a voice you'll love to hear in-person and on recordings. We'll help you improve the tone, resonance, expressiveness, and volume of your voice in order to achieve effortless, healthy projection.

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Public Speaking

We'll help you present the best, most authentic version of yourself when speaking in public. We'll work on projecting relaxed enthusiasm, pleasant assertiveness, and grounded vitality. We cover voice control, body language & hands, managing anxiety, and impromptu speaking.

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Group Classes

New York Speech Coaching offers a variety of group classes throughout the year. These include lectures, public speaking classes, and our open mic practice group. Please click Learn More to see our current group classes on offer.

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Accent Reduction

We'll teach you how to produce a Standard American Dialect. You may feel that your accent limits your ability to fully express yourself. Don't think of this as replacing your natural accent; think of it as an additional skill to have in your communication toolbox.

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Executive Presence

We will help you project a professional and polished image of leadership in any situation. Executive presence includes work on communication skills and appearance with the goal of exuding credibility, authority, clarity, gravitas, and comfort -- all with the highest levels of discretion and efficiency.

Interview Skills

We'll work with you to enhance your voice, physicality, and impromptu speaking skills for job interviews. Your ability to project comfort, confidence, and competence can show your potential employers the true you, giving you the edge when competing for a position.

Presentation Skills

We'll work with you to hone your public speaking skills for presentations behind a podium, in a meeting, or alone on stage. We also can collaborate with you on the structure and content of your presentation, whether you're using software such as PowerPoint, an outline, or no notes at all.

Preparation for Speech

If you have an important speech approaching--a corporate keynote or a best man toast, for example--we will work with you on actionable skills that are specific to your presentation. Our coaches specialize in preparation tactics that will put you through "high-altitude" training -- so that delivering your speech on the big day feels easy and comfortable by comparison.

Social & Dating Coaching

We'll equip you with skills and techniques to feel more at-ease in social situations and dating. We work on managing anxiety, the sound of your voice, body language, humor, and thinking on the spot. We love to help students find the confident and pleasant person within themselves.

Impromptu Speaking

Impromptu speaking doesn't mean unprepared speech. Impromptu speaking is a skill that can be acquired and improved. We'll provide exercises that get the "mind-to-mouth" synapses firing more efficiently, as well as give you the mental tools to help you map your speech's path as you go. No script necessary!

Transgender Speech

Learn to speak with a voice commensurate with the gender with which you identify.

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Internship / Work-study

New York Speech Coaching offers an internship for the fall, spring, and summer semesters. Interns may obtain college credit and will be provided with educational opportunities including private training and lesson observations. A work-study scholarship is also available for those seeking to offset the cost of lessons by direct involvement with the company.

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Impressions / Stand Up Comedy

We specialize in helping stand-up comedians with their delivery and timing, including comedic beats, expressiveness, microphone technique, and body language. We can also break down the components of specific impressions you want to achieve, or work on making your voice more flexible and versatile.

Speech Writing

While our skilled speech coaches enable you to master the delivery of your speech, our content specialists help you craft the content. Whether it be a keynote address, a wedding speech, or anything in between, we write the speech — so that you can stay focused on the presentation itself.

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Voiceover & Podcast Training

If you’ve worked in the voiceover industry and are looking to brush up on your skills, or if you’ve wondered whether voice work for commercials, animation, or audio books might be something you’d enjoy, our coaches can guide you on techniques for advertising, narration, and animation.

Media Training

We'll prepare you for television, radio, or other media appearances and interviews, live or prerecorded. Media training includes work on voice, body, and thinking under duress to help you feel confident and self-assured before the big day, without the fear of "blanking" or flubbing your message.

Dialect Coaching

We'll help you become fluent in an accent or dialect other than your own. It's primarily sought by actors needing to play a character from a specific country or region. Many of our coaches are professional actors and can help you perfect accents and dialects from around the world.

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Pageant Coaching

We'll help you nail the interview portion of the competition! Spontaneous structure, body & voice work, and conditioning for thinking under pressure will ensure committed, clear answers during interviews.

For Actors

We'll work to enhance the flexibility and clarity of your voice, practice interpretation of text, and achieve a Standard American or other dialect or accent. Many of our instructors have enjoyed successful acting careers, and have the experience to help you reach your vocal goals as an entertainer!

Audio/Video Production

We'll collaborate with you on your media production. Our production services include audio recording such as custom PBX prompts or voice-over, video filming & editing for industrials or sales videos, and directing to ensure the talent and presentation matches your high-quality vision.

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If your communication difficulty is the result of a physical or cognitive impairment or injury, our on-site speech pathologist can help. While the fields of speech pathology and speech coaching are closely related, some of the differences are explained here.

New York Speech Coaching’s sister company, New York Vocal Coaching, is pleased to provide New York’s finest singing instruction for students of all ages and interest. Find out more here.

Our Speech Pathology associates have been trained in both the areas of speech therapy and speech coaching, offering a unique, integrated approach to treatment. We incorporate knowledge of the underlying neurological and anatomical components of communication with the philosophy and principles of speech coaching and vocal artistry to provide holistic intervention. This combination of tools from the performance world, public speaking, voice enhancement, executive training, and more yields a creative yet practical treatment setting. We incorporate these skills into therapeutic methodologies to make treatment not only effective, but applicable to real-world scenarios. We believe in addressing the disorder itself as well as promoting overall healthy communication.

When appropriate, we work closely with the caregivers and families of clients to ensure maximal progress. Complete consideration of each client’s cultural and linguistic background lies at the forefront of evaluations and treatment, as this impacts a person’s speech, language, and communicative functioning.

Tutti i nostri servizi sono disponibili in Italiano.

For more information, please visit NewYorkSpeechPathology.com.

What is a Speech-Language Pathologist?

A speech-language pathologist (SLP) is a professional trained in the prevention, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of speech, language, social communication, cognitive communication, and swallowing disorders. Speech-language pathologists provide therapeutic services to individuals across their lifespan.

What is the difference between a Speech-Language Pathologist and a Speech Coach?

A speech-language pathologist specializes in providing therapeutic services to individuals with communication disorders from a clinical approach. SLPs often work in collaboration with medical professionals to provide holistic assessment and treatment of an underlying pathology. A speech coach, however, provides services to enhance the communicative abilities of those with no underlying disorders or pathologies.

How do I know whether I should seek the services of a Speech-Language Pathologist, Speech Coach, Voice Teacher/Voice Coach, or Singing Voice Therapist?

These professions are closely related, and the distinctions among them can sometimes be confusing. If you are looking to enhance the quality of your voice and how your voice is perceived by others, a speech coach would be the appropriate professional for you. If you have been diagnosed with a voice disorder, such as vocal nodules, a speech pathologist would be able to provide you with rehabilitative services. If you are looking to improve your singing abilities, a voice teacher or voice coach could assist you at New York Vocal Coaching. If you are a singer and have been diagnosed with a voice disorder, a singing voice therapist (a speech-language pathologist trained in the knowledge of the singing voice) will be able to help you. We have all of these professionals on site. If you are unsure which professional is the best fit, contact us and we will point you in the right direction!

What types of conditions and disorders do you treat?

We treat a large range of conditions and disorders, including, but not limited to:

Speech Sound Disorders

Individual sounds are the basic units that make up speech. Often times, individuals have difficulties in acquiring these sounds which may impact that person’s speech intelligibility, the degree to which that person is understood by others. Errors of speech sounds can be described as substitutions, omissions, distortions, and additions. Speech sound disorders are typically divided into articulation disorders (difficulty executing the muscular coordinations necessary to produce a specific sound or sounds) and phonological disorders (lack of understanding of the rules that govern the production and combination of speech sounds). Speech therapy has been demonstrated to be effective in improving or correcting these disorders.

Fluency Disorders

Fluency disorders affect the continuity, rate, rhythm, effort, prosody, and/or naturalness of an individual’s speech. The two most prevalent fluency disorders are stuttering and cluttering. Through speech therapy, individuals learn how to control these aspects of their speech.

Voice Disorders

A voice disorder affects the pitch, quality, or loudness of the voice. While some of these disorders may require medical intervention, many can be remediated or improved through voice therapy administered by a speech-language pathologist. Even in cases of surgical correction, voice therapy is recommended before and after a medical procedure to ensure healthy and efficient use of the voice.

Resonance Disorders

Disorders of resonance may occur as a result of an inadequate velopharyngeal mechanism caused by structural abnormalities. This may result in hypernasality or hyponasality. Surgical intervention is required to repair the structures associated with these disorders. However, a speech-language pathologist is effective in treating errors regarding resonance that persist after such a surgery is implemented, as well as providing compensatory strategies to promote better resonance.

Language Disorders

Language can be broken down into the domains of semantics , syntax , morphology , phonology , and pragmatics .

A variety of disorders can affect one’s ability to understand or produce one or more of these aspects of language. Language therapy addresses the client-specific deficits to work towards optimal linguistic functioning across academic, social, and occupational settings.

Initial Consultation

Prior to commencing therapy, an initial consultation is conducted to assess a client’s baseline functioning. A written report detailing findings of the assessment will be provided. The initial consultation will include obtaining relevant history of the speech or language concern, diagnostic measures, and patient/caregiver interview. The initial consultation is critical in determining the necessary treatment approach and protocol.

Evaluations

For those who would like a more in-depth evaluation report, we conduct thorough evaluations to assess the speech and language of children, teens, and adults. The assessment process varies based on individual concerns. In addition to the components of the initial consultation, each evaluation will include assessment of related communication domains, an extended case history, appropriate medical documentation, and communication with other professionals when appropriate. Prior to an evaluation, we will conduct a free 15-minute phone consultation to determine the assessment methodologies appropriate for you or your child’s concerns.

Treatment

After the initial consultation or evaluation, the clinician will provide you with a treatment plan including a recommended frequency and total number of sessions. However, the frequency of sessions is at your discretion and adaptable based on progress. Though most clients are seen for treatment once per week, a handful prefer or are recommended to receive more frequent sessions depending on severity, type of condition/disorder, and urgency to remediate the issue. We are happy to work with you to determine how many sessions will fit your specific needs. This can be adjusted at any time.

Most therapy sessions are one hour in length. For young children, however, we recommend 30-minute sessions to maintain participation and satisfaction.

Tutti i nostri servizi sono disponibili in Italiano.

Bilingual Language Services

Our certified bilingual clinician is trained to evaluate children and adults from diverse backgrounds. She will efficiently determine the nature of a language disorder and its relationship with the client’s bilingualism or multilingualism. Language evaluations and treatment are available in both English and Italian.

Tutti i nostri servizi sono disponibili in Italiano.

Singing Voice Rehabilitation

For singers, nothing is considered more precious than the voice. Like other professional voice users, singers rely heavily on vocal functioning. Just like not all SLPs are voice therapists, not all voice therapists specialize in the singing voice. At New York Speech Pathology, we offer specialized singing voice rehabilitation with a dual certified speech-language pathologist and voice teacher. Even after rehabilitation is complete, the staff at New York Vocal Coaching can assist singers with further enhancing their vocal technique.