Hearing voices - what helps? A peer worker's account

Check out this article from the British Psychological Society:

https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/hearing-voices-what-helps

Ben Gray, Peer Support Worker in public mental health shares his tips on how to help someone who is hearing voices.

1. Nurture feelings of safety. Try to create a calming and soothing environment; this is often important after distressing experiences such as having been an inpatient.

2. Stay curious and open to hearing about each person's unique experiences and how you can support them as an individual. For instance, if their voices are worse after lunch - would they like you to check in on them at this time?

3. Ask someone what they need. For example, do they just want to be listened to? Or can you help them with advocating for themselves or solving a particular problem?

4. Listen, validate and reassure. Experiences of hearing voices can be really scary. Try to demonstrate compassion for their pain and fear. Reassure them that they are safe now.

5. Trauma-informed care. Experiences of hearing voices are often traumatic in themselves, and can be related to traumatic experiences from someone's past. Acknowledge this.

6. Promote and encourage access to psycho-social support and psychological therapies. Access can be difficult and slow. Sometimes people are not offered these things despite good evidence that they help. Try to help them ask for these supports and navigate how to access locally with their GP or mental health team.