Ron Coleman is a public speaker, trainer, and ambassador for the Hearing Voices Movement who has had a considerable influence in the development of the approach across the world. He was a key figure in the development of the UK network, helping to establish many hearing voices groups and organising training for voice hearers, families and workers. He went on to work on the creation of hearing voices networks in Australia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Germany, the USA and Canada.

In 1991 I was in hospital when I was introduced to the hearing voices approach, through a support worker named Lindsay Cooke. Even though I’d been in the system for 10 years, she still believed in the capacity to get better and took me to my very first Hearing Voices group. I remember the people there because they’re a big part of my history. Through the Hearing Voices Movement, I met all these people who believed in my capacity to recover. I found ways of understanding my voices, of taking control of the voices, which meant I really took my life back.

You can find out more about Ron and his wife Karen’s work at their website Working to Recovery.