'Voice Collective' Peer Support Group
The Anna Freud Centre, in partnership with Mind in Camden, has launched the first peer support group for young people (aged 12-18) who hear voices, see visions or have other unusual sensory experiences.
The group meets from 4.45 - 5.45pm every Thursday at the AFC (opening from 4.30pm for refreshments)
Around 8% of children and young people hear voices that other people can't. Whilst many cope well with these experiences, they can also be very frightening and cause the young person to become isolated and distressed. The Voice Collective group offers young people a safe place to make sense of their experiences and find creative ways of coping with them.
The group is:
- A safe space for young people to meet with others who understand
- User-centred and based around the needs and interests of its members
- Flexible, using activities that suit group members (from chatting about issues important to them, to using the creative arts)
- Social, rather than being solely focussed on distress or unusual experiences
- Recovery-focussed, seeing current distress as temporary and ultimately understandable
- Hopeful, encouraging young people to envision a positive future for themselves (whether they continue to hear voices or not).
- Open to a range of understandings and explanations around voices (including spiritual and ones rooted in an individual’s culture)
- Complimentary to other forms of support
The group is small, open to a maximum of 6 members at present, and is co-faciliated by someone with personal experience of coping with voices and visions. As the group progresses, members will be encouraged and supported to take a more active role in the its running.
It is open to anyone who is aged between 12 and 18, has personal experience of hearing, seeing or sensing things that others don't and is ready, willing and able to be part of a peer support group.
The group welcomes self referrals from young people who would like to come to the group. We understand that this can be quite daunting, though, so we appreciate the support that friends, family members and professionals can give in helping young people access the service. If you want to make a referral on behalf of a young person, we ask that you discuss the form with them and ensure that they are part of the process.
For more information or to make a referral please contact Katharina Watt on 020 7443 2230 or katharina.watt@annafreud.org or see the Voice Collective website (www.voicecollective.co.uk)