Hypothetical active voicing in AVATAR therapy

Authors

  • Felicity Deamer Aston University
  • Emma Richardson Loughborough University
  • Thomas Ward King's College London
  • Philippa Garety King's College London
  • Tom K. J. Craig King's College London
  • Mar Rus-Calafell Ruhr-Universität Bochum
  • Clementine Edwards King's College London

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/jalpp.24121

Keywords:

AVATAR therapy, voice hearing, conversation analysis, communication

Abstract

This paper explores AVATAR therapy, an innovative therapeutic intervention for people experiencing auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH), where participants interact with their ‘voice’ in the form of a co-designed visual representation of their voice. Previous research has found AVATAR therapy to be successful in its aim to initiate change in the participant’s relationship to and experience of their voice, but no study has explored the interactional practices employed as they unfold in this complex multiparty interaction between therapist, participant and avatar voiced by the therapist. We build on previous research and explore what it is about this interactional technique that might be contributing to the efficacy of this therapy. Using conversation analysis, we examine the therapist’s use of ‘hypothetical active voicing’ (HAV), where the therapist formulates a proposed turn at talk in their interaction with the participant for the participant to reformulate in their next turn with the avatar. We show how, unlike in traditional dyadic therapeutic settings, participants are immediately able to enact the therapist-suggested dialogue. We find that as the therapist increases their assertiveness, control and precision in the delivery of HAV, so does the participant increase their assertiveness towards the avatar, thus contributing to the aims of the therapy

Author Biographies

  • Felicity Deamer, Aston University

    Felicity Deamer is Lecturer in Forensic Linguistics in the Institute for Forensic Linguistics at Aston University. Her research focuses on issues that emerge at the intersection between law and psychiatry, and it explores a broad range of linguistic data including expert psychiatric reports submitted as evidence during murder trials, police interviews with people experiencing serious mental illness and bodycam footage from secure mental health wards.

  • Emma Richardson, Loughborough University

    Emma Richardson is Lecturer in Language in Social Interaction, Loughborough University. Her research interests include how members of society report crimes to the police, particularly sexual offences, and domestic violence.

  • Thomas Ward, King's College London

    Thomas Ward is a Research Clinical Psychologist working at King’s College London and is clinical lead for the AVATAR therapy team (a digital relational intervention for distressing voices). His research focuses on (1) identifying the core processes which cause and maintain distress in serious mental health conditions; and (2) using this understanding to develop and evaluate novel digital interventions.

  • Philippa Garety, King's College London

    Philippa Garety is Professor of Clinical Psychology at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King’s College London, and an honorary consultant clinical psychologist at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. Her research is focused on the investigation of cognitive and emotional processes in psychosis, together with developing new digital psychological therapeutics.

  • Tom K. J. Craig, King's College London

    Tom K. J. Craig is Professor Emeritus of social psychiatry at King’s College London. His research interests include services and treatments for severe mental illness including studies of the computer-based AVATAR programme for the treatment of auditory hallucinations.

  • Mar Rus-Calafell, Ruhr-Universität Bochum

    Mar Rus-Calafell is a licensed Clinical Psychologist. She received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Barcelona. She is currently Professor of Clinical Psychology and Digital Psychotherapy at the Mental Health Research and Treatment Centre, Ruhr-Universität Bochum (Germany). Her research focus through her clinical and research career is the understanding and treatment of psychosis, and the application of digital technologies to improve assessment and treatment of these disorders

  • Clementine Edwards, King's College London

    Clementine Edwards is Research Clinical Psychologist and trial coordinator for the AVATAR2 therapy trial at King’s College London. Her wider research interests are in psychosis, specifically (1) what drives negative symptom presentations in psychosis, (2) what psychologists can do to formulate and reduce the impact of these experiences and (3) what the barriers are to functioning and meaningful recovery in psychosis and what psychologists can do to reduce these.

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Published

2024-07-22

Issue

Vol. 18 No. 1 (2021)

Section

Articles

License

Equinox Publishing Ltd.

How to Cite

Deamer, F., Richardson, E., Ward, T., Garety, P., Craig, T. K. J., Rus-Calafell, M., & Edwards, C. (2024). Hypothetical active voicing in AVATAR therapy. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Professional Practice, 18(1), 34-65. https://doi.org/10.1558/jalpp.24121