Krysten Sears, MS, CCC-SLP

Krysten Sears (she/her) is a speech-language pathologist who specializes in voice, swallow and upper airway disorders. Krysten received her Bachelor of Arts from Adelphi University, where she studied communication sciences and disorders and vocal performance. She then earned her Master of Science in speech-language pathology with a concentration in voice disorders at the Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions. Krysten went on to complete her clinical fellowship in the Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center in West Palm Beach, FL, prior to moving to Charleston, SC, where she worked at the MUSC Evelyn Trammell Institute for Voice and Swallowing for over five years.

Krysten’s specialized clinical interests include the evaluation and management of voice disorders in professional voice users (with emphasis on singers/actors), neurogenic voice disorders [such as vocal tremor and laryngeal dystonia (previously known as spasmodic dysphonia)], upper airway disorders [such as inducible laryngeal obstruction (previously known as paradoxical vocal fold motion disorder and vocal cord dysfunction)] and gender affirming voice and communication. She also has specialized training in the evaluation and treatment of speech, voice, and swallowing disorders in Parkinson’s disease, and in the head and neck cancer population with emphasis on laryngectomy management.

Krysten is a member of GLMA Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ Equality and listed in its LGBTQ+ directory. She is very involved with continuing education efforts regarding gender affirming care, and presented a live course on Gender Affirming Voice and Communicate with Therapy Insights that is also available for asynchronous CEU credits. The course covered voicing subsystems targeted in gender affirming voice & communication therapy, identification of social barriers to voice & communication therapy, and an overview of therapy techniques unique to gender affirming & voice communication therapy. The practice where Krysten is presently employed is actively in the process of expanding its gender affirming care reach relative to voice and communication training.