Training courses

Here is an overview of the training courses on voices hearing that I can offer.

Understanding Voices Through the Lens of Dissociation

Explore how voice hearing stems in origin from dissociative splitting or internal fragmentation under traumatic stress; why such splitting or fragmentation should be normalized as a trauma response to overwhelming experiences and insoluble conflicts associated with life threat; and why dissociated parts of the personality may manifest as inner, hallucinatory voices.

Understanding Different Types of Voices: Child Voices, Angry Voices, and Perpetrator-imitating Voices

Explore how the personality and person tend to split, divide, or fragment - that is, dissociate - into parts under traumatic stress; why there are characteristic patterns of fragmentation; how fragmented or dissociated parts are associated with instinctive survival responses and vehement emotions and states; and what the differentiating characteristics and similarities are of three types of voices (child voices, angry voices, and perpetrator-imitating voices) in the way that they are organized around traumatizing experiences and defence against threats.

Understanding Voice Dialoguing Through the Healthy Adult Self

Explore how "talking through" to the voices is a corrective experience, an antidote, to processes of dissociative splitting; why the inner conflict among voices must to be reduced through effective internal communication; and why a healing relationship between the healthy adult self and his or her voices is one characterized by elements of differentiation combined with connection through respectful, understanding, compassionate communication.

Children and Young People Hearing Voices

Explore on this new course - addressed to mental health professionals - what is known about children and young people who hear voices and how effectively to support this client group.

"I found the training to be extremely stimulating, exciting, and engaging. My mind was blown! James is a great teacher, the real-life examples help to consolidate the knowledge as you go, he explains everything methodically and clearly and elicited feedback throughout to ensure the content was helpful for me. I felt so inspired after the training that it reminded me exactly why I got into mental health nursing and I feel so excited to start working on wards again so that I can utilize this knowledge not only to support people with voices but also hopefully positively influence colleagues who may not have this knowledge. I also love how trauma-informed the training was. James is so passionate which made the training all the more engaging. I couldn't recommend this training and James enough. Thank you!"

Lucy Atkinson, Lecturer in Mental Health Nursing, Bradford University