Conversation Training Therapy

Conversation Training Therapy

CTT was developed over a decade ago as a novel approach to voice therapy. It removes the therapeutic hierarchy common in most voice therapy programs. It uses patient-driven conversational speech as the main stimuli to increase sensory discrimination of voice & speech production while talking. In this asynchronous webinar, participants will learn the theoretical rationale underlying CTT, component parts of CTT, trouble-shooting, view demonstration videos from a variety of voice-specialized clinicians from around the country, and participate in LIVE OFFICE HOURS with the creators of CTT.

See what people said about our last CTT webinar:

"I honestly feel that I was able to seamlessly integrate the strategies and techniques on the first day that I actually met my patient. I also feel that the videos were extremely helpful and I gained a deeper understanding of how to adapt conversational techniques to meet individual patient needs. This treatment protocol is beneficial to patients across a variety of diagnoses, which again is another positive factor. I absolutely loved it!"

"I have been using CTT in therapy for quite some time, but now feel I have a greater understanding and am excited to level up!"

"As someone who is not a specialized voice therapist, this really helped my understanding of principles that are less familiar to me."

"There were SO many great video examples of SLPs using the approach in realtime and this was really helpful. I also loved the office hours, which added to my learning."

Click here for a more in-depth description of CTT from Teresa Richard's Swallow Your Pride Podcast & the MedSLP Collective.

Jackie Gartner-Schmidt, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, ASHA-Fellow, is a Professor at Carlow University in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Dr. Gartner-Schmidt holds a PhD in Communication Science and Disorders. Before her position with Carlow University, she was the co-director of the University of Pittsburgh Voice Center and director of the Speech-Language Pathology-Voice Division at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center for 20 years. Dr. Gartner-Schmidt’s 30-year clinical and research focus specializes in assessing and treating patients with voice and upper airway disorders. She has been involved in many NIH research studies, has published extensively, and has presented her work at over 500 national and international conferences and through online courses (e.g., MedBridge). She is also a TEDx Speaker ® on voice and emotion. Since 2013, she has owned Voice Now, LLC, dedicated to presentation and communication effectiveness.

Amanda I. Gillespie, Ph.D., is a clinician, researcher, and educator specializing in voice and upper airway disorders. She is an ASHA Fellow, Director of Speech Pathology, Co-Director of the Emory Voice Center, and Associate Professor of Otolaryngology at Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Gillespie holds a PhD in Communication Science and Disorders from the University of Pittsburgh, where she trained under Dr. Kittie Verdolini Abbott. She earned her master’s degree in speech-language pathology from the University of Pittsburgh and her bachelor’s degree from New York University. Her clinical career began at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, followed by a tenure at the University of Pittsburgh Voice Center, where she served as Director of Clinical Research before assuming her current role at Emory. Her research focuses on treatment efficacy and efficiency in voice and upper airway disorders and is supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health, university grants, and private foundations. She has published extensively and presented her work at national and international conferences.

Course Description:

This asynchronous webinar is designed for speech-language pathologists, other voice practitioners, and public speaking coaches. Attendees will learn the theoretical rationale underlying CTT, its component parts, and troubleshooting.

Attendees will have access to CTT demonstration videos featuring the co-developers (Dr. Gartner-Schmidt and Dr. Gillespie) and expert voice-specialized clinicians, including Christina Dastolfo-Hromack (West Virginia University), Christine Murphy Estes (Westchester Institute for Human Development), Shirley Gherson (New York University), Ali Lewandowski (University of Pittsburgh), Doug Roth (Brigham and Women's Hospital-Harvard Medical School), Nathaniel Sundholm (Emory University), and Taylor Strande (St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Canada).

Three LIVE OFFICE HOURS with the creators of CTT will be held on May 20, 2026 (8 pm EST), June 10, 2026 (8 pm EST), and July 15, 2026 (8 pm EST). New to these office hours are live, “play-by-play” experiences—think SportsCenter . We’ll pause and rewind key moments to break down what’s happening in therapy (in the moment), offer insights, and answer your questions during three interactive Office Hours.

By the end of this course, attendees will have a deeper understanding of perceptual-sensory-motor learning theories that support training voice and speech techniques in functional conversational contexts. Further, attendees will learn how CTT incorporates flow phonation and resonant voice therapy techniques to guide the client in producing their best-sounding, most efficient, and longest-lasting voice.

No prerequisite knowledge is required for course completion. Attendees interested in additional CTT information are directed to the following publications:

1. Gartner-Schmidt J, Gherson S, Hapner ER, et al. The Development of Conversation Training Therapy: A Concept Paper. J Voice. 2016;30(5):563–573. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

2. Gillespie AI, Yabes J, Rosen CA, Gartner-Schmidt JL. Efficacy of Conversation Training Therapy for Patients With Benign Vocal Fold Lesions and Muscle Tension Dysphonia Compared to Historical Matched Control Patients. J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2019:1–18. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

3. Gartner-Schmidt J, Gillespie AI. Conversation Training Therapy: Let’s Talk It Through. Semin Speech Lang. 2021;42(1):32–40. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

4. Sandeep Shelly, Scott D Rothenberger, Jackie Gartner-Schmidt, Amanda I Gillespie Assessing Candidacy for Conversation Training Therapy: The Role of Patient Perception. J Voice. 2023 Mar 10:S0892-1997(23)00044-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2023.02.008. Online ahead of print.

5. Vinney, L. A., Tripp, R., Shelly, S., & Gillespie, A. (Year). Indexing cognitive resource usage for acquisition of initial voice therapy targets. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 3, 717-732. https://doi.org/[DOI]

6. Van Stan, J. H., Roy, N., Stemple, J., Gartner-Schmidt, J., Gillespie, A. I., Whyte, J., Duffy, J., & Turkstra, L. (2024). Rehabilitation Treatment Specification System: Content and criterion validity across evidence-based voice therapies for muscle tension dysphonia. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 33(4), 1774-1791. https://doi.org/10.1044/2024_AJSLP-23-00362

7. Martineau, S., Gartner-Schmidt, J., & Helou, L. B. (2025). Quantification of meta-therapy in Conversation Training Therapy. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 1–17. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1044/2025_AJSLP-24-00308

8. Cutchin, G. M., Shelly, S., Petty, B., van Leer, E., Tripp, R. M., Klein, A. M., & Gillespie, A. I. (2023). A comparison of voice therapy attendance rates between in-person and telepractice. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 32(3), 1154–1164. https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_AJSLP-22-00113

Learning Objectives

1. Identify and describe component parts of CTT
2. List how CTT reflects both flow phonation and resonant voice therapy techniques.
3. Describe the perceptual and sensory-motor learning theories incorporated in CTT.

Refund policy. A full refund is available for paid registrations until April 30, 2026. No refunds are available after that date.

Cancellation policy. If the course is canceled, the registrants will receive a full refund.

Please email conversationtrainingtherapy@gmail.com with any additional questions.

Disclosures:

Jackie Gartner-Schmidt, PhD, CCC-SLP, ASHA Fellow

Financial Disclosures: Honoraria from Voice Now, LLC, Salary from Carlow University, Consulting Fee from two R01 grants (DC020247 and DC022026), Royalties from Medbridge Inc.

Non-financial: none

Amanda Gillespie, PhD, CCC-SLP, ASHA Fellow

Financial Disclosures: Honoraria from Voice Now, LLC, Salary from Emory University, Consulting Fee from one R01 grants (DC020247), Consultant on one P50 grant (DC015446),PI on an R01 Grant (DC022026), Royalties from Medbridge Inc.

Non-financial: none

This activity is offered for 0.65 ASHA CEUs (Intermediate level, Professional area)