Voice therapy for trans client(s)

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therese1998

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A recent post reminded me of a question I’ve been contemplating.

I am a Speech/Language Pathologist who works with children and adolescents. This means I am skilled in providing different forms of speech therapy, including voice therapy, to clients.

I was recently asked if I would consider providing voice therapy to a trans-gender client if they wanted to sound more like their “chosen” sex.

To be clear, I don’t have a problem providing speech therapy in general to clients of trans-gender or homosexual orientation. It’s this particular issue that is of concern to me. It makes me uncomfortable, primarily because I see it as active (but, forced) participation in a life-style that is intrinsically disordered

Although I work with adolescents and this could theoretically occur, it hasn’t been an issue for me or for any other SLP that I have worked with. It’s the same issue as it is for everyone: if I am ordered by my job to do it, or if I face sanctions on my license for refusing, it suddenly becomes very problematic. Particularly since we live primarily on my income.

What do you guys think? Yay or nay? If you are forced by your job to cooperate in this way, is it “full consent”? It’s a tough question and I go back and forth…
 
Whether transition is moral or not is still an open question (contrary to what one reads in most Catholic forums), especially transition that is cosmetic.

Learning to speak in a different timbre is certainly not in any way mutilation. If you were training an actor who was going to play the role of someone of the opposite gender, you’d not even think about it.

Bottom line, note this chart and learn about remote material cooperation http://archphila.org/HHS/pdf/CoopEvilChart.pdf
 
TheLittleLady said:
If you were training an actor who was going to play the role of someone of the opposite gender, you’d not even think about it.
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True…but their purpose for learning to adjust their vocal parameters would be for the purpose of playing a character. This person’s purpose is to change their gender in contempt of the one provided them by God. It as a little more…nuance, I guess, to it then “I’m gonna be the best Anne of Green Gables anyone ever saw!”.

I agree it’s controversial; hence the dilemma.
 
TheLittleLady said:
If you were training an actor who was going to play the role of someone of the opposite gender, you’d not even think about it.
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That’s what it is, really, except that I’d call it “the opposite sex,” not “gender.”
 
I haven’t quibbled about this in a while so: Sex and gender are not the same thing, notably here. The client would be working in their gender expression, not their sexual expression.
 
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If I understood her correctly, The Little Lady compared this case to an actor playing a woman or an actress playing a man. In either case, I would call that “playing the role of someone of the opposite sex.”
 
Not to the person with GID. This can be an effective part of their treatment to relieve the dysphoria.
 
I’m no moral theologian, but since you’re just asking us slobs on the internet I’ll wade in. 😛

I don’t see how this would be sinful. Leaving aside the question of whether or not trans-gender identity is a “natural” condition, it seems that your action would simply be coaching this person in how to speak so as to make them more comfortable. There is nothing inherently sinful with speaking in a different range, and you’re not assisting them in committing any sins.

Whether or not this kind of therapy is “the best” way to handle gender dysphoria is obviously up for debate, but I doubt that is a debate any of us are qualified to decide here. What you are doing, however, is helping someone feel better by teaching them how to speak differently, and that isn’t mutilation nor abetting homosexual behavior , or any other inherently sinful activity.

Just my thoughts!
 
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Therese

Your profession has a code of ethic guiding practice. This is what you are bound to in your work. Read that over and maybe call someone at the licensing body in your state- if not your direct supervisor.

I am a social worker and I have had to sometimes talk about things or help clients in ways which may not align with church teaching.

A good example is masturbation. I know that it is wrong however if I work with someone it is not my job to make them believe it is.
 
Ghosty1981 said:
I’m no moral theologian, but since you’re just asking us slobs on the internet I’ll wade in. 😛

I don’t see how this would be sinful. Leaving aside the question of whether or not trans-gender identity is a “natural” condition, it seems that your action would simply be coaching this person in how to speak so as to make them more comfortable. There is nothing inherently sinful with speaking in a different range, and you’re not assisting them in committing any sins.

Whether or not this kind of therapy is “the best” way to handle gender dysphoria is obviously up for debate, but I doubt that is a debate any of us are qualified to decide here. What youbare doing, however, is helping someone feel better by teaching them how to speak differently, and that isn’t mutilation nor abetting homosexual behavior , or any other inherently sinful activity.

Just my thoughts!
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Ghosty1981 said:
I’m no moral theologian, but since you’re just asking us slobs on the internet I’ll wade in. 😛

I don’t see how this would be sinful. Leaving aside the question of whether or not trans-gender identity is a “natural” condition, it seems that your action would simply be coaching this person in how to speak so as to make them more comfortable. There is nothing inherently sinful with speaking in a different range, and you’re not assisting them in committing any sins.

Whether or not this kind of therapy is “the best” way to handle gender dysphoria is obviously up for debate, but I doubt that is a debate any of us are qualified to decide here. What you are doing, however, is helping someone feel better by teaching them how to speak differently, and that isn’t mutilation nor abetting homosexual behavior , or any other inherently sinful activity.

Just my thoughts!
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Thank you! That was helpful. Still trying to wrap my head around it all.
Feanor2 said:
Therese

Your profession has a code of ethic guiding practice. This is what you are bound to in your work. Read that over and maybe call someone at the licensing body in your state- if not your direct supervisor.

I am a social worker and I have had to sometimes talk about things or help clients in ways which may not align with church teaching.

A good example is masturbation. I know that it is wrong however if I work with someone it is not my job to make them believe it is.
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Thank you
 
No sources because there has not been a definitive statement from the Church. Until there is a way to determine if there is an organic cause, we can only fall to the teachings on homosexual acts and mutilation.

There is a wide range of thought.

One is that the idea of intersexed persons, there could be degrees of this condition that science has not recognized. It may be more subtle than someone born with ambiguous genitals. Perhaps a spectrum, degrees of intersex and if that is the case medications, cosmetics and even surgery might be therapeutic.

Google will find you a plethora of articles (I am wary of posting links to articles, not knowing if the reader will move to a “discount the source” tactic, sorry, gunshy) that suggest intersex may be as statistically common as is red hair. We simply don’t know.
 
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I think this is such a new thing that it’s hard to answer. On the one hand there is no church teaching on what sort of voice we should have but on the other if the person is going to use the speech therapy to try and deceive people as to what sex they are then are you aiding in deception?

Not sure OP, I would speak to a priest.
 
They are not playing a role if they transition. Some may feel they are playing a role if they do not transition. And, yes, it’s healthy. It eases any depression and anxiety. Two people dear to me are transgender and just talking on the phone causes anxiety; they’ll hang up rather than speak. I’ve called cabs and insurance companies on their behalf.
 
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You are providing a skill of learning to speak a certain way. If a foriegn language teacher helped someone learn to speak a new language, they would not seem to be at fault if the student went on to use that language to forge sketchy business deals or write scandalous material.

Edit: not to say your clients are sinning, just that seems part of your concern.

Maybe you will inspire them to be fascinated by your field of work and pursue a career helping people as you have.

Learning to sound more like a man might have helped me when I was in the classroom having students mouth off to me who trample mom but wouldn’t dare disrespect dad.🤔
 
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TheLittleLady said:
No sources because there has not been a definitive statement from the Church.
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Fair enough
TheLittleLady said:
There is a wide range of thought.
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Yes, clearly 😉
ConfusedLucy said:
Not sure OP, I would speak to a priest.
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Good advice and that’s where I’m headed next 😉
Bruised_Reed said:
They are not playing a role if they transition. Some may feel they are playing a role if they do not transition. And, yes, it’s healthy. It eases any depression and anxiety. Two people dear to me are transgender and just talking on the phone causes anxiety; they’ll hang up rather than speak. I’ve called cabs and insurance companies on their behalf.
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I totally understand anxiety. And I understand feeling uncomfortable in any given aspect of your body or your psyche. And I feel great compassion for that suffering. I really don’t know if that translates to a “feed the fantasy” approach. We don’t treat suicidal ideation by assisting suicide or agreeing on the overall hopelessness of life. We don’t treat paranoia by helping people purchase a gun. We don’t treat people who believe they are George Washington by putting them on the ballot for the presidential race. I am unclear as to why actually encouraging the dysphoria is the “correct” course of action when it comes to gender and sexuality. Seems more politicized than medically appropriate, IMHO.

At any rate, my question is more to do with course of action professionally than in an argument on GID. Good to understand where others may be coming from, though.
DisorientingSneeze said:
hey would not seem to be at fault if the student went on to use that language to forge sketchy business deals or write scandalous material.
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Perhaps. Interesting.
 
I would say no, it would be encouraging them to live the lie. Extreme example: if you know a person is suicidal, would you teach them the right way to cut themselves or the how to get the best drugs to off themselves?

Also, you would most likely have to address them by their preferred pronoun- would you want to do that?

I, personally, would decline. These people (regardless of religious feelings) need mental help- not encouraging something that will only give temporary relief from their problems.

In the end, I would talk to a priest about the matter and pray. Kinda classic question, but: what would Jesus do?

Praying for you to make the right decision(whatever it may be- never heard of this situation before!)
 
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