Telling stories and hearing voices: narrative work with voice hearers in acute care.

Mental health nurses do not always feel at ease talking in detail with voice hearers about their experiences. Using the approach of Romme and Escher, a project was developed to support staff on an acute inpatient ward to explore voice hearing with patients. Romme and Escher suggest that a person's own understanding of their voices and their meaning is the key to recovery. Working together, the nurse helps voice hearers construct a narrative that tells the story of their voices. Examples from the narratives show how they can help increase understanding of a person's voices, and how the mental health nurse in acute care can realistically offer therapeutic interventions that may help a person towards recovery.