Collection: The Hearing Distressing Voices Simulation Toolkit

The Hearing Voices Simulation is a groundbreaking empathy-building exercise that helps individuals, students, and professionals understand the challenges faced by people with psychiatric disabilities.

During the Simulation, participants listen to distressing voices through headphones while completing a series of tasks, such as taking a mental status exam in a mock emergency room. During the debriefing, even veteran mental health workers say that they have gained new insights into the strength and resilience of those of us with psychiatric disabilities.

Participants in a Hearing Voices Simulation workshop each need their own devices for listening independently, through earphones, to the audio recording of distressing voices.

How to get the audio files to your participants (suggestions): 

• Facilitator can provide the audio files to participants. Participants would then upload the audio to their own devices.
• Facilitator can provide devices for participants. They would have to preload each device.  
• We offer Basic MP3 players, pre-loaded with the audio files. We chose these players as an affordable option; therefore, beware that they're not always reliable or long-lasting.

IMPORTANT: We highly suggest keeping each training within the max count of 40 participants. 

Watch CNN's Anderson Cooper undergo the Simulation. 

Here is a research study on the effects of the Simulation on nurses.