Information for referring clinicians

Who is eligible for the study?

We are currently seeking service users who:

a) are 18 or over

b) currently hear a voice or voices that other people cannot hear most days.

c) have received a diagnosis of a psychotic, mood or personality disorder, or PTSD

d) have not received 16 sessions of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for psychosis (CBTp)

For further information what the study would involve for your clients, please see below and/or the downloadable participant information sheet on the right side of the page. 

What would the study involve for my client?

After you refer a client to the study, they will receive a brief phone call from the chief investigator. The purpose of the call is to discuss the study and give the service user an opportunity to ask questions and decide whether they might like to meet with the chief investigator in person to find out more.

If the client decides they would like to find out more, they will be invited to meet with the chief investigator at a location convenient for them. During this session, the study will be explained in more detail, with plenty of opportunities for the service user to ask any questions. If the service user decides that they would like to participate, they will be asked to complete a set of questionnaires which aim to gain a deeper understanding of their voice hearing experiences. All of these questions will be asked in a sensitive, non-judgemental and empathic way. The whole session will take approximately 3 hours, with opportunities for breaks whenever necessary.

At the end of the session, participants will be provided with a mobile phone, and asked to carry this around with them for nine days as they go about their usual daily activities. This mobile phone contains an ‘app’ which beeps ten times per day, reminding them to fill in a short questionnaire on the screen about their current activities, thoughts, feelings and voice hearing experiences. Participants will be shown how to use the app during the initial meeting, and will receive the contact details of the chief investigator in case they experience any problems.

At the end of the nine days, participants will meet with the chief investigator for a second time to return the phone and complete two short questionnaires about their experience of participating in the study.

For a more detailed explanation of what the study will involve, please see the downloadable participant information sheet on the right side of the page. 

Potential benefits

Everyone who completes the study will be offered £60 in return for their time plus any travel costs they may incur in attending the research and follow-up sessions (note that all meetings will take place in a location convenient for the service user). 

Furthermore, all participants will be offered personalised feedback about how their voice hearing experiences vary in different situations during their daily life, potentially offering further insight into these experiences. Participants can choose to share this information with their clinical team in order to inform ongoing clinical care.

At the end of the study, all participants and their referring clinicians will be offered general feedback on the findings from the study.

Other information

A number of past studies have demonstrated the acceptability of the Experience Sampling Method (i.e. surveying peoples' experiences during daily life using a mobile phone) to service users with a diagnosis of psychosis. 

Service users were consulted during the planning phase of this study (members of the Psychosis Themed Group, a branch of the Lived Experience Advisory Forum linked to Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust), and their feedback incorporated into the design of the study. 

Participation in the study is entirely voluntary. If your client does decide to take part, they are still free to withdraw at any time, without giving a reason. 

I have a client who might be interested - how do I make a referral?

To refer a client to the study, please complete and return the downloadable referral form (right hand side of the page) by post or email.