ABSTRACT
This chapter reports on the second stage of a Grounded Theory study that culminated in the development of the Tripartite Relationship Theory of voice hearing. The experiences of mental health practitioners working across inpatient, community, and psychosis-specific services are presented and enhance the initial theoretical development reported in Chapter 3. Generally, practitioners believe medication is a treatment for voice hearing, with little to no alternative, and is largely inseparable from a range of coercive approaches to ensure medication compliance. Furthermore, practitioners typically struggle to differentiate coercion from choice. In making decisions regarding treatment, practitioners typically privilege their own perspectives and agenda over patients. Finally, many practitioners perceive they lack knowledge and confidence specifically regarding voice hearing, contributing to a lack of meaningful engagement with people’s experience of voice hearing.
