Teletherapy: At Home On Your Computer Speech, Voice & Swallowing Therapy Need help with a voice disorder or want to improve the sound of your voice? Can’t get the help you need? Too long a drive? Can’t find a therapist? Is your voice unpleasant? Strained? Not effective when speaking to groups or in your job? Our voice specialists can help improve your speaking voice in five easy steps with online "face-to-face" coaching. Watch a video demonstrating this approach!  Computer Voice & Speech Therapy Solves Your Problem Your computer brings our expert therapists right to your home for individual, personalized therapy for your voice or swallowing problem. Click here to learn more. Teletherapy uses computers to connect individuals with speech, voice and swallowing problems from a distance. It’s also called telehealth and telepractice and telemedicine. Using a standard web camera and online video connections, our therapists connect with you in your home to provide high quality help with voice and swallowing problems. Teletherapy connected to the Voice & Swallowing Center of Maine offers "live" interactive face-to-face treatment from a distance, using your computer in your home. This approach makes sense if there is no therapist available to provide the service, if a person is physically homebound or is a long distance from a qualified voice specialist/speech- language pathologist. Equipment Connection is easy! You will need a computer with a high speed internet connection. (similar to Verizon DSL or your internet cable connection).  You will need a web camera. Many computers purchased in the last several years have these built in. If you do not have a web cam, one can be inexpensively purchased. We will provide instructions on how to hook it up and get connected.  We’ll tell you how to do it in “one easy click.” The online connection is made through our high security, hosted web site.   Special Therapist Skills Needed This is not typical speech therapy.  Voice & Swallowing Center specialists are among the most skilled and experienced in Maine in telepractice and coaching. The voice specialists at the Voice & Swallowing Center of Maine are experienced working with individuals with voice disorders and with professional speakers in major corporations.  Effectiveness of Teletherapy A large number of studies have been conducted to determine if speech teletherapy provided through computers is as effective as face-to-face. When properly used, the results are the same when skilled, experienced speech language pathologists are used. Getting Started If you have been seen by a doctor and diagnosed with a voice disorder, a visit to the Voice and Swallowing Center is required for complete voice evaluation before considering telepractice. If you want training and coaching to establish more effective voice use, contact us for more information about special packages and rates.   Cost The cost is no more than traditional "in the clinic" therapy. A few insurance companies will pay for telepractice. When the costs associated with travel and the ability to access skilled voice therapists are considered, telepractice is a good value. The Voice and Swallowing Center can be contacted by telephone at (207) 338-9349 or by email at speech@wcgh.org