Paul John McKenna is an experienced Speech & Language Therapist specialising in clinical voice disorders and the performing voice. He works in the NHS at Wythenshawe Hospital, South Manchester, as Clinical Lead for Voice Services where he runs the Professional Voice Users Clinic, endoscopically assessing professional voice users with vocal injuries and impairments. As well as helping non-performers with their voice issues, Paul’s patients routinely include stage and screen actors alongside singers of all genres, from touring and recording artists, West End performers, as well as aspiring students at the start of their careers. Not forgetting those who love to sing purely as a hobby. Paul provides assessment and holistic therapeutic interventions to help people to recover their voices and get back to doing all of the things they love to do in their lives.
Paul also works privately as a Consultant Voice Specialist at the BMI Alexandra Hospital in Cheadle as part of Manchester Voice Clinic, assisting ENT with joint endoscopy assessments. With a background as a gigging musician and passionate about helping people to improve their voice as well as their general health and wellbeing, Paul has previously held the position of Director for the British Voice Association (BVA) and has contributed to national guidance on the management of clinical voice disorders for voice clinicians. Having trained extensively in Hypnotherapy and Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Paul regularly provides training and workshops on these approaches and vocal health at national events and conferences. He runs vocal health workshops at performing arts establishments as well as delivering online therapy, performance coaching, and training via his business “The Vocal Therapist”. Paul has been a member of the UK Choir Festival team since 2019