FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 23, 2016 – The Hearing Voices Research and Development Fund is delighted to announce the launch of www.OurVoicesRaised.org.
This innovative site is a dedicated space for people who hear voices to share their experiences and a place where Hearing Voices peer-support groups across the United States can connect with one another to create ongoing networks. It is also the home for a first-of-its-kind research study, featuring a detailed questionnaire based on the Fund’s narrative and participatory approach to understanding voice hearing.
The site has been created in direct response to those in the US who are working to grow the Hearing Voices Movement but often feel isolated in their attempts. Although there are now 90 groups around the country (see www.hearingvoicesusa.org for a complete list and contact information for each group), it is still too often the case that groups remain isolated from one another or lack networks in their geographical region, and www.OurVoicesRaised.org offers a new community space to answer this concern. Both individuals and groups are encouraged to join the community, creating a virtual version of the network of groups that is currently developing. Voice hearers and their allies will be able to contribute stories and wisdom about the process of building Hearing Voices groups in their locality and to learn from one another about strategies and approaches, regardless of how many miles may separate them.
A key highlight of www.OurVoicesRaised.org is a questionnaire exploring the experience of participating in a Hearing Voices peer-support group. This survey has been designed by and for voice hearers in collaboration with academic researchers to answer the question: What essential elements make Hearing Voices Groups useful to voice hearers and why? Responses will be analyzed using a qualitative, Participatory Action Research approach intended to highlight the diversity of experiences that participants in Hearing Voices Groups have had. People can write (or speak, using a voice-to-text feature) as much or as little as they like, in their own words, about their experiences, and can return to the survey as often as they wish before submitting their responses. The goal is to allow each participant the space and time they need to offer their unique story and insights.
www.OurVoicesRaised.org builds on the trainings for group facilitators that the Hearing Voices Research and Development Fund has been sponsoring over the last 18 months. These trainings have taken place in 5 states across the country, and thus far, have prepared 125 new facilitators to start Hearing Voices groups in their regions. At least two additional trainings will occur in spring 2017.
Both the training and research aspects of the project reflect the collaborative efforts of Dr. Gail A. Hornstein, Professor of Psychology at Mount Holyoke College, Jacqui Dillon, Chair of the Hearing Voices Network in England, and their colleagues at the Western Massachusetts Recovery Learning Community. Please share the launch of this exciting new site as widely as possible, and encourage all those who have experience participating in Hearing Voices peer-support groups to complete the questionnaire!
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