Debra Lampshire - Working With Voices: Working effectively with people who hear distressing voices.

Join us for this one-off training event, with special guest facilitator from Aotearoa New Zealand.

Hosted by Voices Vic.

Facilitator: Debra Lampshire

Debra is a professional teaching fellow at the University of Auckland, a senior lecturer at Auckland University of Technology and provides Hearing Voices Groups for Whatu Ora - New Zealand’s primary health provider. Debra Lampshire has converted her 30 years’ lived experience of mental distress into teaching, research, and writing. Debra teaches across all disciplines and has recently introduced a program for those with lived experience to gain tertiary qualifications. An acclaimed speaker, an activist and advocate in all areas of the mental health sector both the lived experience movement and clinical health services, Debra has an international reputation as an expert on Voice Hearing and has been a keynote speaker at numerous international conferences. Her life experiences have been profiled in television documentaries, she has made multiple appearances on news programs speaking on mental health issues. She also has a Ted Talk and has made numerous national and international media appearances including the BBC and American media outlets. She has been a recipient of many awards in mental health including: the supreme achievement award from the Attitude disability sector and was most recently recognized in the New Years Honours list where she was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit for her work.

Workshop description:

The workshop reorients approaches that foster creative, collaborative and inclusive thinking. It invites participants to enhance service delivery and inspire meaningful change and transformation in professional attitude and practice. While exploring the social and political dimensions of health it also provides practical skills to address the multiple challenges voice hearers and professionals face when dealing with distressing voices.

The workshop introduces a humane, respectful, and relational approach to working with people who hear voices. Grounded in lived experience and the accumulated knowledge of those experiencing distressing voices, the training shifts from “symptom management” to understanding voices as a meaningful experience that can be explored safely and collaboratively.

The focus is on relationship, personal agency, and supporting the person—not silencing the voices.

Learning objectives:

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Describe the non-pathologising framework for understanding voices.

2. Use curiosity-based, collaborative dialogue to explore a person’s relationship with their voices.

3. Apply the core principles of the MODERN approach to voice-hearing work in everyday support interactions.

4. Support voice-hearers to build self-reliance, personal agency and meaning making of their experiences.

Tea, coffee & morning tea will be provided.

Workshop Dates:

Monday 19th October, 09:30am - 4:00pm

Tuesday 20th October, 09:30am - 4:00pm

Who are Voices Vic? 

Uniting's Voices Vic is an award-winning and research supported specialist program improving the wellbeing and recovery of people who hear voices and experience other unusual experiences.

Led by peers with lived & living experience in hearing voices and mental health, Voices Vic provides dynamic recovery groups for adults & youth. We also facilitate trainings across Australia for organisations and individuals who work and care for voice hearers and voice hearers themselves. 

Any issues or questions please email: vvtraining@vt.uniting.org

We believe everyone can recover

Contact the host of Working With Voices Specialist Training with Debra Lampshire