Lykourgos Karatzaferis

He was born in Nikoleika, near Aigio, where, as the firstborn son, he went on to study medicine—because, as the saying went, “good students become doctors.” Although he never quite understood the reasoning behind it, he faithfully followed that path for many years. Inevitably, in an attempt to escape medicine, he began planning his change of direction as early as his second year. In the end, however—fortunately or unfortunately—he never quite found the courage to go through with it.

Eventually, disappointed by what had been regarded as such a prestigious career choice, he turned to psychiatry, largely influenced by the two years he had spent in Leros, where he worked as a member of the therapeutic team at the 3rd Psychiatric Hospital, under the direction of Giannis Loukas. He completed his psychiatric training in Athens at the 9th Psychiatric Hospital, under the direction of Theodoros Megaloikonomou.

For two years, he worked with the Dodecanese Mobile Mental Health Unit and served as the psychiatrist responsible for several residential facilities and supported accommodation settings. He was also part of multidisciplinary therapeutic teams at the Agioi Anargyroi Community Mental Health Center and the Leros Psychiatric Hospital.
His work also extended into the community, where he conducted home visits, contributed to the development of therapeutic programs, and supported people with lived experience of mental health difficulties in developing greater autonomy, self-organization, and self-advocacy.

Later, he spent a year coordinating intake and awareness groups at 18 ANO, before joining OKANA, where he worked for the next five years. Alongside this work, he was responsible for the clinical oversight and coordination of the therapeutic team at PEK AMEA, while also working as a psychiatrist at OPA.

He has been a member of the international Hearing Voices network since 2010 and has been actively involved in its activities ever since. He is also involved in coordinating the Greek branch of the network, facilitating self-help groups and contributing to seminars and conferences, as well as translating articles and books.

He continues his training at AIA, which, together with the people he encountered in Leros and at the 9th Psychiatric Department of the Psychiatric Hospital of Attica, has played an important role in fostering his openness and acceptance of diversity.