What is the best way for someone to get some personal experience with Voice Dialogue and/or to get training in the work?

There are a number of ways for individuals to find appropriate facilitators or teachers. Since we do not certify anyone in this work, it is necessary for individuals to take complete responsibility for carefully investigating their options when making this kind of choice.

The first very important consideration is to determine whether or not the work with Voice Dialogue is appropriate for you. There are a multitude of therapeutic and growth modalities available. We support all of them so long as they are ethically based. Voice Dialogue and the Psychology of Selves is used by an increasingly large number of consciousness teachers, therapists, coaches, and counselors because it is consonant with all ways of working.

One way to start this investigation is to read one of the basic books. Embracing Our Selves or Embracing Your Inner Critic is a good place to start. For CD lovers the basic two-disc set An Introduction to the Psychology of Selves is a good beginning. Therapists could add to this an additional two-disc set on The Psychology of the Transference. In a DVD format we also have The Voice Dialogue Series. This includes direct interviews by Michael Rowland, demonstrations, and videotaped portions of one of our seminars. All of these can be purchased in the secure Bookshop section of this website.

We have provided a wide variety of downloadable PDF articles and a selection of book chapters - by ourselves and by others - in the Reading Room section of this website. These, too, will give you an introduction to the work.

If you have decided that you are clear that you want to do some Voice Dialogue work, one of the oldest tried and true ways of finding someone is by a referral from a friend, trusted acquaintance, or family member. This might be someone who has had direct experience with the facilitatator or teacher - in a workshop or in individual session.

A second option is to look at the Resource Directory on this website. This is not a referral network. We have no public referral list. The Resource Directory consists of names of individuals who are related to the Voice Dialogue community in some way. They may be psychotherapists or counselors who use Voice Dialogue in their practice. They may be business consultants or dance or art therapists who use the theory of selves and found ways of applying it to their own work. They may be acting teachers or body workers. The work is definitely out there and has been used by workers in a variety of fields. Since we do not have certification in this work, a group of Voice Dialogue teachers (IVDA) - with the added cooperation and input of the wider Voice Dialogue community - spent two years developing guidelines for the kind of knowledge and training needed for facilitators and teachers of Voice Dialogue. We have used this document as the basis of our listings on the Resource Directory. It includes a lengthy form that summarizes their professional experience in general, and with Voice Dialogue theory and practice in particular

This document is not a requirement or demand. It requires nothing of us. It simply puts forth its view of the kinds of experiences and knowledge felt to be necessary in the training of practitioners.

Reading the information included in the listings on our Resource Directory should give you a clear idea of the experience and training of each individual. The guidelines and the ethical standards that are also available in the Resource Directory section will give you added assistance in evaluating the appropriateness of your choice.

IVDA has created guidelines that are basically self-regulating and we believe they will help you in learning about many of the people around the world who are working with Voice Dialogue and the Psychology of Selves. For additional information, each listing in the resource directory is linked to the personal website of that individual or group.

In addition to the Resource Directory, our website has a section entitled "Training by Others". Here you will find a list of seminars and teachings taking place around the world. By reading this, you can determine what is being offered by way of seminars in your area. Of course, not everyone lists everything on our directory so you might have to explore local options in other ways. Going to an introductory evening or day or weekend is an excellent way to be introduced to the work and to see whether the teacher is a possible therapist for you. If you find someone you like, you can ask that person if you might interview him or her. It is your life and choosing the best teachers and facilitates is worth all of effort and focus you can bring to the search. It is certainly worth the money to interview someone or to do a session and see how it feels to you. Facilitators generally need to get to know a client before they will do an actual Voice Dialogue Session. As a potential client or student, you must listen to your mind and your heart. They may well agree on someone but if they don’t agree we suggest that you keep looking until your mind and your feelings both feel positive about your choice.

There is one last consideration. Many people become interested in Voice Dialogue and it is important that you are clear about the qualifications that are important to you. A psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker, psychotherapist, or counselor is generally licensed by the state or country in which they live. Do you want or need to see a Voice Dialogue practitioner who is a licensed therapist, clinical social worker, or marriage and family counselor? Your reasons may have to do with insurance or simply this is necessary for your comfort level. Be sure that you check on this.

Other people are just interested in learning about Voice Dialogue for reasons of personal growth or to learn how to use it in their relationships. You might just like the changes you noticed in a friend and want whatever the friend was getting and you might have no interest at all in professional qualifications. If you wish to practice Voice Dialogue and charge a fee, then it is important that you understand that you are practicing therapy. It is the responsibility of any professional practitioner to learn about the laws of the state or country of residence and be sure that they are doing the work in a way that is consonant with the legal framework of his or her community. There are many different ways of doing this.

A facilitator may have a certification as a Life Coach; as a hypnotherapist; as an alcohol and drug rehabilitation counselor; as a ministerial counselor; a nurse counselor; an art therapist: a dance therapist, a Heller Worker ... and the list goes on.

It is our further recommendation that no one engage in the ongoing professional practice of Voice Dialogue facilitation who has not done additional training professionally in other forms of work. It is at least necessary to recognize whether or not a particular client belongs in this work or not and whether they have the necessary experience to work with the client.