The Bay Area Hearing Voices Network has been supporting those who hear voices and experience other extraordinary sensory perception experiences since 2014.
Our history
The Hearing Voices Movement originated in the 1980’s in the Netherlands and has been inspiring voice hearers, peer workers, and allies in the UK and other parts of Europe ever since. Over the past two decades, local hearing voices groups have developed around the world, creating a Hearing Voices Network (HVN). InterVoice, based in the United Kingdom, currently serves as the international organizing network of the hearing voices movement. Hearing Voices Network USA was founded in 2010.
The HVN approach strongly emphasizes the value of exploring the personal and cultural meaning of voices and related experiences, does not promote any one interpretation of voices, and emphasizes the importance of self-determination.
HVN endeavors to bring together voice hearers, family members, and clinicians, and sustains an international research advisory board. In many parts of the world, mental health centers and outpatient clinics regularly refer clients to HVN groups and collaborate with voice hearers and service users in order to promote shared goals of recovery, acceptance, and community integration.
Our story
The Bay Area Hearing Voices Network was launched in 2014, building on the past work of organizers in the greater San Francisco area. Current members of the BAHVN board include voice hearers, family members, advocates, researchers, and clinicians.
Our mission
The Bay Area Hearing Voices Network seeks to expand public awareness, provide community support, and refuge for those who hear voices, see visions, and experience other forms of extraordinary experiences. BAHVN also provides support and refuge for family members and friends.
Board of directors
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Ed Herzog
President
Ed Herzog was one of the co-founders of the Bay Area Hearing Voices Network in 2014 and currently co-facilitates two Family and Friends HVN groups. He lives in Berkeley and has been a documentary filmmaker and labor organizer for 30 years, working primarily with labor unions. He got involved in the hearing voices movement when his son told him around ten years ago that he heard voices. Though he does not hear voices himself, he experienced trauma as a young boy and extreme visual and auditory experiences. He is on the BAHVN board of directors, the NAMI East Bay Board of Directors, and the HVN-USA board of directors.
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Kenneth Kozi Arrington
Vice President
Kenneth Kozi Arrington is the Programs Outreach Coordinator for Peers Envisioning and Engaging in Recovery Services, aka PEERS, in Oakland, CA. In his role, Kozi reaches out to various Alameda & San Francisco County communities, organizations, agencies and learning institutions that serve and/or educate and provide care for people with mental health challenges. On the job, he plays a lead role as an Advanced Level Facilitator of the Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) Groups. Other curriculums Kozi co-facilitates are, Buried in Treasure; a support group for folks that have excessive collecting or hoarding issues. A voice hearer himself, Special Messages which is a counterpart of HVN is another group Kozi co-facilitates on an ongoing basis. Mr. Arrington is the co-founder and lead chairperson of the Alameda County, Pool of Consumer Champions, (POCC), Sexuality & Gender Alliance Committee, (SAGA). SAGA is a peer support group and committee for LGBTQI2S Gender Non-Conforming individuals.
Advisors
Manton Hurd
Manton is a Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner working in the public mental health system. He has prior experience working with underserved populations in mental health as an advocate, counselor and nurse. Manton is particularly interested in applying innovative theoretical approaches to improve outcomes for individuals with severe and persistent emotional and mental distress.
Kyle Foster
a trained group facilitator and dedicated advocate within the Hearing Voices Movement. With a background in chemical engineering and a deep commitment to mental health justice, Kyle brings curiosity, compassion, and a collaborative spirit to every group he supports. He is passionate about creating safe, nonjudgmental spaces for people to explore their experiences and connect meaningfully with others. Outside of his work with BAHVN, Kyle contributes to community-building efforts that elevate peer-led support models and promote dignity and choice in mental health care. He is especially interested in bridging technical and interpersonal problem-solving skills to advance collective healing and empowerment.
