A first of its kind mental health initiative is helping 2SLGBTQIA+ folks find their voice. Funded by the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia, Trans-Formative Voices is a music therapy program that provides voice transitioning support from a music therapist perspective for transgender and non-binary individuals.
“A lot of our work is centered around coming into our voice and the identity of our voice and who we are as people,” says MacKenzie Coston, Owner & Founder of Find Your Voice Music Therapy. “For the Transgender and Non-Binary community on their journey of transitioning, when their voice, speaking or singing, doesn’t connect to who they feel they are as a human, that can be very unsettling.”
Gender dysphoria and other forms of mental illness are widespread in the Transgender and Non-Binary population. A 2020 survey by Stats Canada shows a third of 2SLGBTQIA Canadians have poor or fair mental health, and are three times as likely to report have seriously contemplated suicide. Led by Certified Music Therapist Kastin Bradley, Transformative Voices helps address these staggering mental health inequities by providing peer support and community connection while building self-confidence in gender identity and expression.
“I had one client who at our very first individual session, almost had an anxiety attack because they were so anxious about their voice,” says Bradley. “They just felt so disconnected from it and that it wasn’t authentic to them. Fast forward a couple of weeks and they’ve expressed they genuinely like how they’re presenting and being perceived. They’re not getting misgendered as much, so they have less dysphoria, are less worried, and feel safer in public spaces.”
Bradley first recognized a need for this type of program when their partner who works as a musician came out as transgender. Kastin is proud to be facilitating their second full program with 50 more Nova Scotians on a waiting list. Transformative Voices operates under a pay-what-you- can model to enable anyone interested to take part, regardless of their socio-economic status.
“Everyone deserves to find their true voice. To be able to fully express themselves and live an authentic life, and Trans-Formative Voices is enabling that basic human right,” says Starr Cunningham, Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia President & CEO. “The Mental Health Foundation is incredibly proud of the support this service provides to our 2SLGBTQIA+ community which reduces gender dysphoria while improving the mental health and well-being of transgender and non-binary individuals.”
The Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia recognizes the importance of creating a safe, supportive space for members of the queer community and hope this program helps individuals uncover a deeper connection with their inner-voice and fully express who they are through speech and song.