Clarissa Hardaker

Clarissa Hardaker is a Highly Specialised Speech and Language Therapist and Voice and Dialect Coach based in London. She received a BSc in Clinical Speech and Language Studies from Trinity College Dublin in 2013. Clarissa has a professional and personal interest in vocal rehabilitation for actors, singers and other professional voice users. She is highly skilled in the assessment and treatment of clients with vocal nodules, cysts, polyps, muscle tension dysphonia, vocal trauma or complete voice loss, among other diagnoses. She is also skilled in treating those with speech and swallowing disorders and in helping clients to reach their full communicative potential. Clarissa firmly believes that helping people to regain an authentic, clear and strong voice can open doors and change peoples’ lives for the better.

 

Clarissa currently works on the Voice and Head and Neck Cancer team at Whipps Cross University Hospital, London. As well as her clinical work, she runs her own private practice in which she specialises in helping elite voice professionals to rehabilitate the voice and to master their instrument. She also works with children and adults with speech and swallow disorders. She works holistically with each client and strongly believes that the voice and body are inextricably linked. Body realignment, tension release, breath and resonance work are the cornerstones of her practice. Clarissa believes in using a mixture of techniques from her creative and clinical backgrounds to achieve her clients’ desired results.

 

Her passion for the performer’s voice led her to complete a Masters of Fine Arts in Voice Studies at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. She received a scholarship from the Voice Care Network to carry out research on vocal pathology in teachers and ways of preventing it. She received a distinction for her work and is due to present her research at the British Voice Association’s ‘Choice for Voice’ conference in September 2021.

 

Clarissa is a member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT), the British Voice Association (BVA) and the British Association of Head and Neck Oncologists (BAHNO). She is one of the recommended Vocal Rehabilitation Specialists for the British Association for Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM). She works with clients from all over the world online and provides face-to-face therapy in London. Clarissa creates a caring and nurturing environment where each individual can feel listened to – and heard