making18comic.fun

2Voices&VisionsAguidetocoping&recovery:forparents,carersandfamilymembersofyoungpeoplewhohearvoicesorseevisionsVOICECOLLECTIVE2AboutThisbooklethasbeenputtogetherbyMindinCamden'sLondon-wideVoiceCollectiveproject.
VoiceCollectiveworkswithchildren,youngpeople,familiesandyouthagenciesacrossGreaterLondontohelpimprovethesupportavailabletoyoungpeoplewhohearvoices,seevisionsorhaveotherunusualexperiences.
Theinformationinthisbooklethasbeencreatedbyprojectstaff,someofwhomhavepersonalexperienceoflivingwithvoicesandvisions.
Whilstdevelopingthebookletwewerealsoguidedbyparentsandcarers,andhaveusedsomeoftheirquotesthroughout.
Ifyou,orsomeoneyouknow,wouldliketofindoutmoreaboutourservices,pleasecontact:VoiceCollectiveMindinCamden,8FairhazelGardensLondon,NW63SGT:02076259042E:info@voicecollective.
co.
uk,W:www.
voicecollective.
co.
ukTwitter:www.
twitter.
com/voicecollectiveFacebook:www.
facebook.
com/voicecollectiveTumblr:www.
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tumblr.
comWiththanksto:Funders:FrontPageReferenceImage:BBCChildrenInNeedsweetcaffeine-stocksCityBridgeTrust(http://fav.
me/d37ua2j)ComicRelief*Theinformationinthisbookletisnotasubstituteforprofessionaladvice.
Ifyouareconcernedaboutyourchild-pleasespeaktoyourGP.
3introductionDealingwithachildwhohearsvoicesislikegoingthroughaprocessinwhichthevoicesareacceptedandthechildwillbesupportedbasedontheacceptance.
Itisa'searchingtogether'DrSandraEscher,ChildrenHearingVoices(p1)Whilstthemajorityofchildrenwhohearvoicesaren'tnegativelyaffectedbythem,thismaybelittlecomfortifyourchildisstrugglingtocope.
Whenvoicesandvisionsareveryintrusive,powerfulordistressing,itisnormalforthewholefamilytofeeloverwhelmedandpowerless.
Asaparent,youmayfeelthatyourchildisstrugglingwithsomethingthatissimplybeyondyourunderstanding.
Thegoodnewsisthatresearchshowsrecoveryispossible,andyouasaparenthaveareallyimportantroletoplay.
Youcansupportyourchildtodiscovertheirpotentialforgrowthandrecovery,providingessentialhopeandencouragement.
Ifyourchildiscurrentlyhavingverydistressingexperiences,thismayfeellikeadistantdream.
Youmayfeellostandnotknowwhattodoforthebest.
Itcanhelptoseerecoveryasajourney.
Everyjourney,nomatterhowdifficult,startswithasinglestep.
Eachofusisanindividual,sothereisnosimpleanswerthatworksforeveryone.
However,wehopethattheinformationinthisbookletwillgiveyousomeinspirationtofindawayforwardforyouandyourchild.
Finally,rememberthatjourneysdonotneedtobetakenalone.
Therearepeopleouttherewhocanhelp.
Ifyou'renotsurehowtoaccessthem,speaktoyourGP,YoungMindsorcontactusatVoiceCollective.
4recoveryIflifewaseasy,noneofuswouldneedtorecover.
We'dsimplyhearvoicesthatmadeuslaughorsmile.
Recoveryismorethanjustfindingwaysofdealingwithvoices.
It'sabouthealingfromtheproblemsthatcausedsuchdifficultexperiencesinthefirstplace.
Rachel,VoiceCollectiveProjectManagerandvoice-hearerwhatdowemeanbyrecoveryForus,recoverysimplymeanslivingthelifeyouchoose.
Whilstmanyyoungpeoplewhohearvoicesaren'tdistressedbythem,overwhelmingvoicescanreallygetinthewayof'normal'life.
Theycanaffectayoungperson'ssenseofself,confidence,self-esteem,mood,friendships,schoolworkandfamilyrelationships.
Sometimesthesituationcanfeelhopelesstoboththeyoungpersonandthosewholovethem-asifeveryoneispowerlessandstuckinasituationoutoftheircontrol.
Thegoodnewsisthateventhoseyoungpeopleaffectedbyintenselyconfusinganddistressingvoicescan,anddo,recover.
Recoveryisanindividualjourney.
Aswithalljourneys,therearemanywaysthatwecantraveltowardsit.
Ourjob,assupporters,istohelpayoungpersonfindthewaythatworksforthem.
Youngpeoplewhorecovermay,ormaynot,stillhearvoicesandseevisions.
Inmanyways,thisisn'timportant.
Thekeyisthattheyarelivingtheirlife-alifewithhighs,lows,challenges,joy,mistakesandvictories.
Whensomeonehasrecovered,thevoicesarenolongerinthedrivingseat.
Perhapsmostimportantly,thelifeproblemstriggeringthevoiceshavebeenunderstoodanddealtwith.
5whathappenswiththevoicesAccordingtoDrEscher'sresearch,60%ofchildrenandyoungpeoplestophearingvoicesoncetheproblemsunderlyingthemhavebeenaddressed.
Ifyourchild'svoicesareverydistressing,theideathattheymaycontinuetohearvoicesandrecovercansoundstrange.
Afterall,howcouldanyonefeelgoodiftheyhearvoicesthatsayhorriblethingsandtellthemtostayawayfrompeopletheycareaboutOnewayofunderstandingthisisbythinkingaboutpeopleinyourownlifethatyouhavefoundhardtocopewith.
Whilst,inanidealworld,wewouldstophavingcontactwithpeoplewefindtoxic-sometimesthisisn'tpossible.
Iftheyareworkcolleagues,extendedfamilymembersorabestfriend'spartner,wearestuckwiththemwhetherwelikeitornot.
Inthissituation,aswecan'tchangeorescapetheotherperson,theonlythingwecandoischangeourselves.
Sometimesthisjustlimitstheirinfluenceoverus,butitcanalsoproduceasimilarchangeintheotherperson.
Yourchild'srelationshipwiththeirvoicescanbeunderstoodinasimilarway.
Recoverycanhappenwhen:))Thevoicesstaythesame,buttheyoungpersonchangeshowtheyfeelaboutthem.
Forexample,imagineachildwhoisabouttotakeatestandavoicetellsthemthatthey'restupidandwillfail.
Ifthischildknowsthatthevoicesaysthingswhenthey'renervous,theycanreply:'I'mworriedaboutfailing,butI'vestudiedsoI'mgoingtodomybest.
EvenifIdofail,Icanalwaysre-takeit.
I'llbeOKeitherway'.
))Thevoiceschange.
Forexample,anastyvoicethatthattellsthemtostayawayfromotherpeoplecansometimesbeaprotectorvoiceindisguise.
Whenthechildnolongerfearsotherpeoplethevoicemay,instead,becomefriendlyandsupportive.
6stepstorecovery'Alwaysbethereforyourchild,howevertoughitbecomes.
Youaretheonetheymostrelyonandtrust.
Followyourinstinctsandrememberyouknowyourchildbetterthananyoneelse'Anne*,ParentofachildsupportedbyVoiceCollectiveVoicesandvisionscarryimportantmessagesabouthowyourchildfeelsaboutthemselvesandtheirworld.
Ratherthanspeakingdirectly,thesemessagesarehiddenincode.
Difficultanddistressingvoicesoftenreflectdifficultanddistressingemotionsandlifeexperiences.
Youngpeoplecan,anddo,findwaysofcopingwithvoices,visionsandtheemotionsthatdrivethem.
Developingthesestrategieswillgiveyourchildvaluableskillsthatwillhelpthemgetthemostoutoftheirlife,whetherornottheycontinuetohearvoices.
1.
What'stheproblemOneofthefirststepstohelpingyourchildfindwaysofdealingwithproblematicvoicesandvisionsistobeginmakingsenseofwhatdifficultiesorissuesmaybetriggeringthem.
Differentproblemssuggestdifferentsolutions.
Sometimes,theunderlyingissuemaybeobvious.
Youmaybeawarethatyourchildhasbeenbullied,recentlybereavedorwitnessedaseriouscrime.
Often,though,thingsneedcloserinvestigation.
Trytobeawareof,andavoid,theblamegame.
Unlessyouintentionallycausedyourchildharm,youarenottoblamefortheirexperiences.
However,aswellaslookingatoutsidefactors,itcanbehelpfultoexplorewhetherthereisanythingwithinthehomethatmaybeinadvertentlycontributingtoyourchild'sdifficultemotions(e.
g.
alossorrecentchange).
7Whenyourchildisfeelingcalm,encouragethemtotalktoyouabouthowtheyfeeland-iftheycan-whatthevoicesaresaying.
Somemayfinditeasiertotalkwhilstwriting,drawingordoingsomethingactive.
Whentalkingtoyourchilditisimportanttostaycalmandshowthatyou'reinterestedinseeingthingsfromtheirpointofview.
Somefamiliesfindsettingupa'worrybox'helpfultofacilitatethis.
Thisgivesthechildtheopportunitytowriteworriesdownastheyoccurand,iftheywantto,explorethemlaterwithsomeonetheytrust.
Voicesandvisionsareoftenlinkedtohowthechildfeelsaboutthemselvesandtheirworld,providingvaluablecluesabouttheissuestheyarefacing.
Forexample,achildwhohearsvoicesthattellsthemtorepeatataskuntiltheygetitrightmaybefeelingveryanxiousandinsecure.
Achildwhosevoicesshoutatthemmaybefeelingangryatthemselvesoratsomeoneelse.
WefoundoutthatSamisbeingbulliedatschool.
Hisvoicesshoutathim,threatenhimandsayallkindsofhorriblethings.
Hecarriesthebulliesinside,now.
Ihateknowinghefeelssobad,butatleastnowwecanhelpJane*,ParentofachildsupportedbyVoiceCollectiveIfyourchildhearsveryangryordestructivevoices,theyprobablyfeelveryafraidandpowerless.
Ashorribleasthesevoicescanbe,don'tforgetthattheycarrymeaningtoo.
Trynottobeafraidofthevoices,evenifyourchildisveryscared.
Onceyourchildiscalm,youcanstarttomakesenseofwhat'sgoingonforthem,butyourimmediatepriorityistohelpthemfindawayofcalmingdownandfeelingsafeagain.
Remember:youdon'tneedtodothisalone.
Therearelotsofagenciesouttherewhoarewillingandabletohelp.
82.
Identify,andbuildon,strengthsEveryone,nomatterhowstressedout,hasnaturalwaysofmanagingdifficultfeelingsorsituations.
Ifyoucanfindoutwhatstrategiesyourchildnaturallyuses,youmaybesurprisedathowresourcefultheyare!
Createalistwithyourchildandencouragethemtokeepitsafe.
Ifyoucan,lookforthesecretingredientofeachstrategy-trytounderstandwhatitisthatmakesituseful.
IsitdistractingComfortingCreativeExpressiveActiveCalmingThemoreyouunderstand,theeasieritwillbetocreatetailor-madestrategieswithyourchildthatreallywork!
Often,whenyoungpeoplefeeloverwhelmed,theycanstruggletothinkofanythingtheycandotomanagedifficulttimes.
Discussingcopingstrategiescanremindthemofhowhopelesstheirsituationfeels.
Youcanhelpby'holdingthehope'andrememberingthattheycan-andwill-discoverwaysofdealingwiththis.
Developingnewskillstakestime,supportandlotsofencouragement.
3.
WorktogethertofindasolutionAmajorpartofyourchild'sjourneytorecoveryisfindingtheirowncopingstrategies.
Itcanbehelpfultothinkofitbuildingupatoolboxthatwillhelpyourchilddealwitharangeofsituationsandfeelings.
Everyoneisdifferent,sothereisnomagicformula.
However,youcanhelpengageyourchildinthiscreativeprocess.
Remembertotrustyourinstinctsandlistentoyourchild-youaretheexperts,afterall!
'Neverdoubtyourjudgementorbeafraidtoaskforadvice,supportandhelp'Dee*,ParentofachildsupportedbyVoiceCollective9somecopingstrategiesThesearejustafewideasthatyoungpeopleweworkwithhavefoundhelpful.
Usethemasastartingpoint,forinspiration,andnotasaninstructionmanual.
Seewww.
voicecollective.
co.
ukformoreideas.
Calming***Often,voicesandvisionsaretriggeredormadeworsebyfeelingsofstressandanxiety.
Theymaygetlouder,nastierormoredistractingthemorestressedyourchildgets.
Evenifthevoicesaretriggeredbysomethingelse,hearingthemmaymakeyourchildfeelscaredorfrightened.
Thesetipscanbehandyifyourchildneedstocalmdownandrelax.
Theyareagoodplacetostart,andtheyaretipsforlife-notjustforvoices.
Yourchildmayneedhelprememberingthemindifficultmoments.
Inourexperience,itcanreallyhelptotalksomeonethroughtheseexercises-thisiswhereyourhelpisinvaluable.
FindacalmingritualAritual,inthissense,isjustsomethingfamiliarthatyourchildcandowhentheyneedtofeelsafe.
Itcouldbeanythingfrommakingahotdrink,playingscalesonamusicalinstrument,practisingtaichi/yoga,bouncingaball,readingareassuringpoemorstory,watchingafavouriteprogramme,holdingafavouritetoy/blanketorsayingaprayer.
Someyoungpeoplefindsafetyinpatterns-inwhichcasepuzzlesanddoodlingmaybehelpfultoo.
Yourchildmayfindwritingtheirownmantrahelpful.
Thiscaneithercontradictthevoices,orremindthethemoftheirstrengthandsafety.
Forexample,"I'msafehere.
No-oneisgoingtohurtme'or'Iamsafe,Iamstrong.
Iamloved'.
Itcanhelptokeepthisonacardsothechildcanrepeatitwhentheyfeelvulnerable.
10BreathingExercisesSlow,deepbreathingisverycalming.
Wegetfeedbackfromourbody,soifourbreathingisrelaxedourbrainsays'OK-nothreathere'.
Conversely,ifsomeonetakesquickshallowbreathsourbraincangetthemessagethattherereallyissomethingtoworryabout.
Ifyouasksomeonewhoisreallystressedtobreathedeeply,theytendtoforceitandpant.
Thisonlymakesthemfeelmorestressedout.
Instead,itcanhelptouseapatterntoprovidesomestructureandsomethingtofocuson.
Asastartingpoint,tapasteadybeatandtrythis:Breatheinfor4,holdfor4,breatheoutfor4,holdfor4Repeatthecycleuntilyoufeelcomfortablewithit.
Makesureyou'rebreathingfromyourbelly,notfromthetopofyourlungs.
Yourbellyshouldexpand,butyourshouldersshouldstaystill.
Then,whenyou'reready,trylengtheningthe'out'breathwhilstkeepingtheothersthesamelength.
Gofrom4to6to8Remember:Alwaysgoattheyoungperson'spaceandaimforgentlebreathingratherthananythingathletic.
Itshouldbeasrelaxedaspossible.
Iftheystarttofeeldizzy,stopandsitdown.
PhysicalRelaxationExercisesTalkyourchildthroughclenchingeachpartoftheirbodyforafewsecondsandthenreleasingit.
Encouragethemtoreallypayattentiontohowtheirbodyfeels.
Ifyourchildistooyoungforthis,youcanhelpthembyturningthisintoagame.
First,thechildneedstocurluplikeaturtlegoingintoitsshell.
Then,slowly,askthemtoturnintoagiraffestretchingtonibbleonatallleaf.
11FiveThingsWhenthingsarescary,wetendtopaylotsofattentiontothemandfindithardtofocusonotherthings.
Thisisanadaptiveresponse-afterall,ifwelivedinthewildwewouldneedtofocusonthreatssuchaslionstostayalive.
Groundingexercisescanhelpyourchildlearntoshifttheirfocusfromthevoicesandvisionstoothersensoryinformation(insideoroutsideoftheirbody).
Itcanbehelpfultodothisasagame,alongsideyourchild.
Name5thingsyoucansee,5thingsyoucanhearand5thingsyoucantouch.
Name4things.
.
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.
3things.
.
.
.
2things.
.
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1thing.
It'soktorepeatthingsandyoucancheatatanytime.
Ifyourchildrunsoutofsounds,it'sfineforeitherofyoutomakeanoise.
Iftheyarehearingorseeingthingsatthetime,theycanincludethesetoo.
Thetrickistoplacethemalongsidetheotherthingstheycanhear,seeorsensetomakethemlesspowerful.
CreateaSafeHavenHelpyourchildconstructasafeplaceathomethattheycangotowhenthey'refeelingvulnerable.
Thiscanbearoom,acornerofaroom,asoftchair-anywherewhichiscalming,quietandeasilyaccessible.
Anotherversionofthisistoencourageyourchildtoimagineasafeplaceanddescribeitindetail.
Askquestionstohelpthemusealloftheirsensesinthis,bringingittolife.
Withyourchild,chooseasmallobjectthattheycanholdwhilstdoingthisimagining.
Thiscouldbeapebble,shell,smalltoyoranythingtheyfindreassuring.
Repeatthisvisualisationeachday,eachtimeimaginingthatallthegoodandsafefeelingspassintotheobject.
Then,whentheyarestressed-encouragethemtousetheobjecttohelpthemrememberthatsafespaceinside.
12AGoodMemoriesBoxWhenthingsaretough,it'shardtokeepholdofgoodmemories.
Creatingatreasurechestcanhelpbothofyoukeepthesememoriesclosetohearttouseondarkdays.
Encourageyourchildtofillitwithanythingthattriggersgoodmemoriesandfeelings-photos,lyrics,objects,artwork,memories,letters,quotes.
.
.
anythinggoes.
Distracting***Distractionisoneofthemostnaturalwaysofdealingwithdistressingexperiences.
Itinvolvesyourchildidentifyingarangeofactivitiesthattheycanreallyfocuson,evenwhenthingsarestressful.
Thismightinclude:listeningtomusic,playingcomputergames,goingforawalk,sport,cleaning,painting,drawing,creativewriting,planningsomething,readingamagazine,thinkinggames,singing,watchingmusicTV,makingsomething(e.
g.
usingclay,plasticineornewspaper),beingaroundpeopleorcooking.
Acautionarynote:Whilstdistractionisausefultemporarystrategy,itisjustpushingthedifficultfeelingsorexperiencesawayforabit.
Yourchildwillalsoneedhelpinexpressingthemselvesandfindingwaystogainsomecontrolovertheirvoicesorvisionsatsomepoint.
Expressing***Difficultvoicesareoftenlinkedtodifficultemotions,soitmakessensethatexpressingthemcanbehelpful.
Theseemotionscanfeelveryscarytoachildoryoungperson,especiallyiftheyarelinkedtothevoicestheyhear.
Youcanplayaveryimportantroleinhelpingthemtofeel-andstay-safe.
Iftheybegintogetoverwhelmed,remembertousesomeofthe'calmingstrategies'mentionedearlierinthisbooklet.
13PhysicalIfyourchildisfeelingfrustrated,angryoranxious,doingsomethingphysicalcanhelp.
Thismightincluderunning,bikeriding,walkingfastorshadowboxing.
Itcanbehelpfultothrowasoftballatawall,ripupanewspaperorhitapilloworpunchbag.
Singing,dancingorplayingalongtomusiccanbegreattoo.
Everyoneneedstoshoutandscreamsometimes.
Ifyoucan,findasafewayforyourchildtoletoffsteam(e.
g.
shoutingalongtomusic).
Youmightevenwanttocreateyourown'Haka'together(aMaoriwarcry/danceusedbytheNewZealandrugbyteambeforeeachgame).
CreativeCreativityprovidesanexcellentwayforchildrenandyoungpeopletoexpressthemselves.
Youcouldencourageyourchildtowrite,draw,paint,oruseplaydohtoshowhowthey'refeeling.
Ifyourchildlikestowrite,keepingadiarycanhelprecordhowtheyarefeelingsotheycanmakesenseofitwithsomeonelater.
Alternatively,scrap-bookingandcollagesaregreatwaysofkeepingtrackoffeelingswithouttheneedforwords.
TalkingYourchildmaywanttotalktosomeoneaboutwhatthey'regoingthrough.
Inthiscase,youcansupportyourchildisbystayingcalmandprovidingalisteningear.
Tryandtakewhatyourchildsaysseriously-whatthey'regoingthroughfeelsveryrealtothemevenifyoucan'tunderstandit.
Iftheyarestruggling,youcanalsohelpbyfindingthemacounsellor,therapist,mentororCAMHSprofessionaltospeakwith.
'Ithelpstobeempathictoherexperiences,notignoringordismissingthem.
Butrecognisingherfearisreal.
'Joe*,ParentofachildsupportedbyVoiceCollective14takingthepowerback***Voicesandvisionsonlyhaveasmuchpowerasthechild,andtheirsupporters,givethem.
However,dominantandscaryvoicescansometimesenduprulingyourwholefamily'slife-witheveryoneavoidinganythingthatcouldpossiblymakethevoicesworse.
Whilstunderstandable,thiscanleaveyoufeelingincrediblyisolated.
Intime,itcanfeelverychallenging-butnotimpossible-toregainthebalance.
Don'tpanic!
Oneofthemosteffectivewaysofreadjustingthepowerbalanceisalsothemostsimple.
Asaparent,thewayyoureacttoandspeakaboutthevoicesiscrucial.
Tryandstayascalmaspossible.
Ithelpstoshowyourchildthat,whilstyourecognisehowfrightenedtheyfeel,youaretheretosupportthemfindawaythroughit.
GettingsupportforyouandyourchildRecoverydoesnothappeninavacuum.
Ifyourchildisoverwhelmed,oryou'restrugglingtocope,seeitasasigntogetsomeextrahelp.
ThissupportcancomefromCAMHS(ChildandAdolescentMentalHealthServices),yourGP,charities,VoiceCollective,YoungMinds,faithgroups,communitygroupsoryourfriends&family.
Youarenotalone.
ListeningwithkindnessSomeyoungpeoplefindithelpfultoseedifficultvoicesasbullies.
Bullieshaveoftenbeenbulliedthemselvesand,eventhoughtheycanbenasty,theyareoftencoveringuptheirownvulnerability.
Othersfindithelpfultotreatnastyvoicesasiftheyareangryyoungerchildrenthatarehavingatempertantrum.
Inbothcases,beingkindbutfirmcanstripthemoftheirpowerandhelptheyoungpersonfeelmoreincontrol.
15QuestioningandchallengingVoicesdon'talwaystellthetruth,soitcanbehelpfultosupportyourchildtogatherevidencetoseewhetherornotthevoicestheyhearcanbetrusted.
Thisisespeciallyimportantifthevoicesmakeclaims,predictionsormakeyourchildfeelunsafe.
Likepeople,voicescanbequestionedandchallenged.
Youcansetlimitswiththem,asyouwouldwithunrulytoddlers,andyoucanpostponeoravoidthethingstheytellyoutodo.
SendingthevoicesawayIfyourchildfindsdistractionstrategieshelpful,itshowsthattherearesometimeswhentheycanignore(oratleastminimise)thevoicestheyhear.
Someyoungpeoplecanbuildonthistosendthevoicesawayforcertainperiodsoftime(startingsmallandbuildingupgradually).
BecominganinterpreterItcanbehelpfulforyoungpeopletoseevoicesasmessengersthataren'tverygoodatcommunicatinginastraightforwardway.
Theirmessagecangetconfused,soweneedtofindwaysofmakingsenseofit.
Ifyourchildisoldenough,theymaywanttoworkwithyouasadetectiveto'de-code'thevoicesandworkoutwhatproblemthey'retryingtocommunicate.
afinalthoughtFinally,rememberallthegoodthingsaboutyourchild.
Aretheycreative,determined,loving,intelligent,energetic,funny,kindorquirkyLookfortheirstrengthsandletthemknowthatyouseethemintheirentirety.
Yourchildis'normal',eventhoughtheyhavesomeextraordinaryexperiences.
Theywillhavetheregularhighs,lowsanddiversionsthatyou'dexpectfromanychild.
They'llmakemistakesunrelatedtotheirvoices,andthey'llhavesuccessestoo.
There'smoretoyourchildthantheirvoices-ifyoucanhelpthemtoseethat,youaredoingagreatjob!
Around8%ofchildrenandyoungpeoplehearvoicesorseethingsthatotherpeopledon't.
It'smuchmorecommonthanmanypeoplethink.
VoiceCollectiveisaMindinCamdenprojectthatworksinpartnershipwithyouthservicesacrossLondontohelpensurethatthesechildren,youngpeopleandfamiliesgetthebestsupportpossible.
W:www.
voicecollective.
co.
uk,E:info@voicecollective.
co.
uk,T:02076259042ourservicesFORYOUNGPEOPLEIfyouhear,seeorsensethingsthatothersdon'tandare18orunder,wecanoffer:Peersupportgroups,soyoucanmeetwithotheryoungpeopleCreativeworkshops,whereyoucanlearnnewskillsandhavesomefun1-2-1supportaroundmakingsenseofvoicesandfindingcopingstrategies(email,phoneandinperson)Information&signposting,tohelpyoufindtherightservicesandsupportforyouOnlinesupportforumWesbite,includinglotsofinformationandideastohelpyouunderstandyourexperiencesandfindwaysofdealingwiththemSupportforyourfamily,schooloryouthworkers"WithoutthegroupIwouldbeisolated.
IusedtothinkIwastheonlypersonthisishappeningto,thatIwasfreakishorwrong.
Ithelpedmerealisethatthereareotherpeople.
Itnormaliseditandmadeitlessinhuman"-Andy*,Aged16FORparents/carersIfyourchildhearsvoices,wecanoffer:Supportworkshops,soyoucanmeetwithotherparents,shareexperiences&getnewtips1-2-1supporttohelpyoumakesenseofyourchild'sexperiencesandthinkofwaysofhelpingthemcope(email,phone&inperson)Information&signpostingWebsite&onlinesupportforumFORworkersAlargepartofourserviceinvolvessupportingschools,socialservices,CAMHS&otheryouthagenciestoworkwithchildren&youngpeoplewhohavetheseexperiences.
Weareflexibleinwhatweoffer,sodogetintouchtoexplorehowwemightworktogether.
CoachingandtrainingforstafftosupportstaffalreadyworkingwithayoungpersonwhohearsvoicesAwarenessraising(includingPSHElessonsandworkshopsforstaff)Helpdevelopingwritteninformation,policiesandguidancearoundsupportingyoungpeoplewhohearvoicesYouhavebroughtus'normality'withintheseexperiences.
Youhavetaughtusthatwiththeappropriatesupportyoungpeoplecanleadhappyandsuccessfullives.
Yourecognisethelovewehaveforourchildrenandhavetaughtushowtosupportthem"-Sue*,Motherofa12yearold