2072V - Voice Affirming Communication Training for Transgender Clients: Interprofessional Collaboration between Speech-Language Pathology and Counseling Students

This presentation will describe a clinical program in a university setting that combined individual voice-affirming therapy and group social-emotional support for transgender clients. Students and supervisors from graduate programs in Communication Disorders and Sciences and Professional Counseling collaborated to provide these services. Project goals were to develop transgender voice-affirming therapy skills, cultural humility, counseling, and interprofessional practice skills in the graduate students, while providing needed services to the local LGBTQ+ community. Clinical services included weekly voice affirming training sessions and biweekly communication and support groups. On alternating weeks, interprofessional activities included joint supervision and reflection, debriefing, planning, and resource creation. Student and client outcomes will be reported, along with benefits, challenges, and lessons learned from the initiation of this program.