first-ever Hearing Voices Group Facilitator Training
in South Florida!
Signal20 and Western Mass RLC teamed up to present the first ever Hearing Voices Group Facilitator Training in South Florida! Expert trainers Caroline Mazel-Carlton and Cindy Marty Hadge traveled from Massachusetts to lead the three-day event hosted at the Boca Raton Community Center. This training was the first time a separate track was included for those who are interested in starting HVN-style groups for family members. These groups provide a distinct space for family members to explore their personal feelings and beliefs in order to create better connections with their loved ones who hear voices.
Diverse & Distinguished Attendees
Participants from all over Florida and numerous other states including Virginia, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, and California took part in the training. Over half of the participants are voice hearers. The attendees also included family members, friends and supporters of voice hearers, social workers, therapists, and a professor from UCLA.
The training was an amazing experience that focused on a foundation of understanding and values important to starting and facilitating a hearing voices group, but equally valuable in day-to-day interactions with anyone. Caroline and Cindy did a truly outstanding job of explaining, demonstrating and leading by example to guide the participants through the curriculum. Sharing their own stories and lived experience, they provided inspiration and hope along with sage advice and just a touch of process. The training highlighted some profound yet often absent listening skills based on values and principles that can make a peer support group a success.
A Stream of Wisdom
It is difficult to adequately describe how exceptional both Cindy and Caroline are at providing this training and guidance. It’s one thing to use interesting and engaging techniques to present the material in an easy to grasp and memorable way, which they do. But the heartfelt sincerity and conviction they convey along with an almost endless stream of wisdom is what makes this training and these trainers so impactful.
HVN Group in Boca Raton?
As a followup to the training several participants have expressed an interest in co-facilitating a group here in South Florida. If you are interested in helping facilitate or participating in that group please drop us a line at [email protected] and we’ll include you and keep you updated on the progress of the group.
The Ideal Venue
Finally, we wish to sincerely thank Julia Shelton and the terrific people at Boca Raton Community Center. They were helpful, kind, accommodating, and professional throughout our three-day visit. The facility is comfortable, convenient and first rate for this type of event.
Training Offered Again This Spring…
If you missed the Hearing Voices Group Facilitator Training in Boca Raton, no worries; the training is being offered again, in Massachusetts this spring. Applications are available here and due by April 6th. There is no cost for the training for people residing or working in Massachusetts. For out-of-state attendees, there is a $100 fee per participant (though this can be waived upon request). More information about the Hearing Voices approach is available at www.hearingvoicesusa.org. Feel free to email Wildflower Alliance/Western Mass RLC at [email protected] with any questions.
