Nia Williams shares how she has developed and run a nine-week occupational therapy-led hearing voices programme in North Wales .
Supporting people along the road to recovery
Nia Williams shares how she has developed and run a nine-week occupational therapy-led hearing voices programme in North Wales .
© Maca and Naca via Getty Images
A s an occupational therapist working in a community mental health service in North Wales , I have become increasingly aware of how common hearing voices is . I have spent the last five years learning about hearing voices and I believe that , with our role and skills , occupational therapists can be effective in helping and supporting people who hear voices to improve their quality of life .
As such , I began to look at the research into occupational therapy and hearing voices , with assistance from another occupational therapist Kate Harding , and we were surprised that we were unable to find any research specifically related to this subject .
I read numerous books , listened to various tutorials by people who hear voices , looked at the Hearing Voices Network , and linked in with the
Intervoice ( International Hearing Voices Projects ) international awareness day . My aim was to gather information and guidance on what people who hear voices find useful and what helps them to get on the road to recovery .
Despite hearing voices affecting a person ’ s occupations and performance , the only current intervention I could see being offered in our community mental health teams appeared to be medication , with the aim of eliminating the voices , which is not always successful .
Yet information from the Hearing Voices Network states that acceptance , understanding and exploring techniques to manage the voices is more empowering , placing the voice hearer on the first step towards recovery . This is not to replace medication ( if felt appropriate ); it is an extension of therapeutic intervention .
20 OTnews April 2024