Speech therapy · Chronic cough
Chronic cough that won't clear
Clinically reviewed by Sacha Allnatt, Speech-Language Therapist (NZSTA #12789) · Last reviewed 6 October 2026
A cough that lasts more than eight weeks and is often dry and irritable. When medical work-up comes back normal, the problem usually sits in laryngeal hypersensitivity, and speech therapy has been shown to often be effective.
Speech therapy for chronic refractory cough. We require a respiratory work-up before therapy begins to rule out other causes. An ENT review is helpful but not essential.
Clinical overview
Understanding chronic refractory cough
Chronic refractory cough: a cough that lasts more than eight weeks and is often dry and irritable.
We require a respiratory work-up to rule out other causes of respiratory dysfunction before therapy begins. An ENT review is helpful but not essential.
When chronic cough persists despite normal medical results, the problem usually sits in laryngeal hypersensitivity or habitual patterns. Both can improve with the techniques we use in clinic.
Our approach
How we treat chronic cough
Education, suppression strategies, and breathing techniques, informed by a thorough case history of your coughing pattern.
Thorough case history
Chronic cough management often includes a very thorough case history and description about the coughing pattern: what triggers it, when it worsens, how it has changed over time.
Education and suppression strategies
Followed by education and strategies to suppress a cough and manage hypersensitivity.
Cough diary tools
Supplementary tools including chronic cough diaries can be used to track patterns and progress between sessions.
Breathing techniques
Breathing techniques can be used to encourage relaxed open-throat breathing and nasal route breathing to calm irritability.
How speech therapy manages a chronic cough
When chronic cough persists despite normal medical results, the problem usually sits in laryngeal hypersensitivity or habitual patterns. Both can improve with the techniques we use in clinic.
We require respiratory work-up to rule out other causes of respiratory dysfunction before therapy begins. Once medical causes have been excluded, the laryngeal component is what speech therapy is designed to address.
Pricing
Clear pricing, no surprises
First step: a free 15-minute call
A telehealth call with Sacha to talk through your cough and whether speech therapy is the right next step. No charge, nothing to commit to.
In-person · Wellington clinic
Initial assessment
$227
Follow-up sessions
from $177
Telehealth · nationwide
Initial assessment
$187
Follow-up sessions
from $147
Prefer to start on your own?
Sacha's video series, Understanding and Calming a Chronic Cough, covers what is going on and the techniques that can help settle and control it, in 8 short modules. The first is free, no account needed.
Frequently asked
Questions about chronic cough therapy
Do I need a referral?
To effectively work with chronic cough we do require a respiratory or ear, nose and throat assessment prior. This rules out other causes of respiratory dysfunction and confirms the laryngeal component before therapy begins.
How long does a cough need to last before it's "chronic"?
Chronic refractory cough is a cough that lasts more than eight weeks and is often dry and irritable. If your cough has lasted longer than eight weeks and medical work-up has not identified a cause, speech therapy may be appropriate.
What does speech therapy actually do for a cough?
When chronic cough persists despite normal medical results, the problem usually sits in laryngeal hypersensitivity or habitual patterns. We treat this with education and strategies to suppress the cough and manage hypersensitivity, supplementary tools including cough diaries, and breathing techniques to encourage relaxed open-throat breathing and nasal route breathing to calm irritability.
Is the first call really free?
Yes. It is a 15-minute telehealth call with Sacha to talk through your cough and whether speech therapy is the right next step. There is no charge and nothing to commit to.
Start with a free conversation
Want help gaining control?
Free 15-minute telehealth conversation to talk through what's happening and whether speech therapy is the right next step.