Ben Alderson-Day and Victoria Patton write:
In November last year we ran a short consultation to explore young voice-hearers’ responses to the question: Should we build a smartphone app for young people who hear voices?
We’d like to thank all the young people who participated in our online survey and focus groups for giving up their time and sharing their perspectives and ideas so generously. It was great to hear your thoughts on how an app might help young people cope with distressing voices and what features the app should contain, as well as your concerns and the kind of things that might put you off using it.
Encouraged by the results of the consultation, we put in an application for Durham’s Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Impact Accelerator Awards. We’re delighted to announce that we were successful in our bid for funding for development of a Living with Voices pilot app. The project will be a partnership between Hearing the Voice, Durham’s Institute of Medical Humanities, Voice Collective, Rachel Waddingham and Dr Sarah Parry from Lancaster University.
In the next six months, there will be plenty of opportunities for young people who hear voices (aged 14–25) to get involved in the app’s development. As the project continues, we’ll also be aiming to involve clinicians, family members, education professionals, school and University counsellors, mental health charities and policy makers.
Just watch this space for more information!