Sally Dennis is an HCPC and RCSLT registered Senior Specialist Speech and Language Therapist with clinical specialism in the field of Voice Disorders. She has particular interests in Voice Therapy and vocal rehabilitation for professional voice users (including singers, performers, actors and teachers) who are experiencing voice difficulties and applies a goal focussed approach to intervention. She has worked in the field for over 20 years and is experienced in supporting service users to achieve improvement or resolution to voice difficulties and associated symptoms of throat discomfort. She has extensive experience with working with creative professionals, including contemporary commercial musicians, musical theatre and classical singers particularly over the last 12-14 years, including professional and student singers/performers and actors including commercial, soap opera, and West End.
In her NHS role she is Clinical lead for Voice at Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, where she see's patients in voice therapy clinics, joint voice clinics and in a dedicated Performer and Professional voice user Clinic, with laryngoscopy and stroboscopy alongside an ENT Consultant with special interest in voice and a Vocal Rehabilitation Coach and Singing Specialist. She also sees patients privately online and for face-face sessions.
Sally can help with issues relating to assessment of voice and factors influencing the presenting difficulties, including medical history, auditory perceptual analysis and laryngeal manual palpation and assessment of the extrinsic laryngeal musculature; voice care advice / vocal health; voice therapy for Muscle Tension Dysphonia, functional dysphonia, vocal nodules, vocal polyps, vocal paresis/paralysis/palsy, presbyphonia, spasmodic dysphonia, vocal fold haemorrhage; pre and post-operative therapy and rehabilitation for vocal cysts and polyps, sulcus, papilloma, and vocal fold palsy/paresis; laryngeal manual therapy; SOVTE (Semi Occluded Vocal Tract exercises), including LAX Vox, Doctor Vox, and active SOVTE’s; accent method techniques to address factors impacting on vocal biomechanics, function, fatigue, stamina, vocal projection and vocal range such as working on optimising postural alignment, breath patterns for voice, laryngopharyngeal postures, efficient use of resonance and articulatory patterns.
Sally engages in continued professional development and training so that she can offer effective intervention with her clients and patients. She arranges learning events for Voice Specialist Speech and Language Therapists for the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapist North West Clinical Excellence Network, and has been invited to present at national conferences and study days (Association of Teachers of Singing (AOTOS) and British Voice Association (BVA). She is a guest lecturer at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) where she offers training on vocal health and vocal mechanics. She arranges supervision for voice specialist SLT’s and vocal coaches and singing teachers with an interest in vocal health.