Prospectus Academic Year 2024/25
A warm welcome to the Recovery College
We are a college based in Southern Health Foundation Trust (SHFT) Mental Health services, part of a national chain of Recovery Colleges.
Our aim is to help increase awareness and understanding of recovery and self-management whilst challenging stigma related to mental health.
We all live on a continuum of mental wellbeing so mental ill health can affect us all. In fact, around one in four people will experience a mental illness at some point in their lives
Due to this our courses are relevant and open to all, whether you are a user of mental health service/friend and family and/or health professional.
If you are in a professional caring role, the courses in addition to supporting your wellbeing will also enhance your professional development and compliment organisational Leadership Education and Development (LEaD) courses.
When you come on our courses we do not differentiate or label people apart from with the title of ‘student’ - The Recovery College welcomes all
Our ethos: Co-Co-Co
An ethos is the spirit and attitude that you have running through you. As an organisation, ours is one of collaboration. It is important to us at all levels, beginning with the very first step of writing our courses.
Our courses are written collaboratively between someone with professional experience in the mental health sector and someone with personal lived experience of mental health difficulties (CO-produced)
They are then delivered by two facilitators (CO-delivered), one with lived experience in these fields and one with professional experience which brings a well-rounded view to training.
Importantly, our courses are CO-attended by NHS staff, service users of mental health services and carers (including family and friends) of those under mental health services The rich variety of shared experiences makes the college a uniquely supportive learning environment.
Courses are co-developed, delivered and attended by people who work in, use or care for someone who uses our services
All attendees (whether service users, staff or carers) are students together
We differ from other mental health provisions by being educational rather than therapeutic
We use language that empowers students to self-direct their learning and recovery and discover their own resourcefulness
We seek to help students to recognise and make use of their talents and resources – a strengths based approach
Each student’s college journey should be an autonomous process
What we do
We deliver courses both face to face in community venues and online using a secure Zoom business licence, on subjects related to mental health recovery and self-management.
Our courses are centred around the common recovery terms of Hope, Agency and Opportunity.
If you'd like to browse the courses we have on offer this term, before making your decision to enrol, please see Our Courses section.
We are also pleased to offer a collection of Mental Health Recovery and Wellbeing videos and other helpful resources to everyone, even if you don't meet our criteria. These can be found on the additional learning resources section of our website.
When we use the term recovery we are meaning that:
“A person with mental illness can recover even though the illness is not ‘cured.’ Recovery is a way of living a satisfying, hopeful, and contributing life even with the limitations caused by illness.
Recovery involves the development of new meaning and purpose in one’s life as one grows beyond the catastrophic effects of mental illness”
Bill Anthony (1993)
How to become a student
The best way to enrol with us at the Recovery College is to click the enrolment button below, this will take you to an external website and our enrolment form. If you do not have access to a computer, smart-phone or tablet, you can call the college where one of our admin team will be happy to help. Alternatively, you may want to ask a supporter to help you complete the form. They are also invited to enrol with you to support their own wellbeing.
Click here to enrol
Your enrolment form will be considered, and we will confirm your eligibility to join the college If you have met the criteria, you will then attend our Induction before booking any further courses Further details will be provided in your welcome letter or email.
Recovery College Induction
Every student is required to complete this course before they proceed with their Recovery College journey This course will take you through all the basic information you will need to get started with us and show you where to access information to help you get the most out of your time at Recovery College.
Booking your first course
Once you have enrolled, completed the Induction and are ready to book onto your first course, all you need to do is email or call the Recovery College and provide us with the following details: the name of the course(s) you’d like to book, the date of the course(s) and your full name Don’t forget you can book up to five courses in one go. You’ll then receive an email from us with all the information you need to get you onto your first course!
Our courses
Our courses are designed to follow a progression
Step 1:
These 5 courses are our Core courses and are a good starting place as they explore some of the core themes and tools linked to mental health Recovery. These will be delivered on a rolling weekly basis throughout the terms. These courses are:
What is this Thing Called Recovery?
What is this Thing Called Hope?
What is this Thing Called Agency?
What is this Thing Called Acceptance?
What is this Thing Called the Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP)?
Step 2:
These Introductory courses will provide you with a more in-depth knowledge of specific Recovery-focused topics.
Step 3:
The Intermediate courses are ideal once you have a good grasp of what mental health recovery means to you.
Step 4:
The Advanced courses provide you with an opportunity to consolidate your learning from the previous courses and apply it to advanced topics and practical Recovery focussed tools.
Suggested course pathways
We have created two pathways called the Recovery Pathway and the Hope Pathway These have been designed so they can give students a clear progression to understand Recovery in Mental Health and how Hope plays an integral role in sustaining Recovery.
Each step explores the topic in greater depth. Students can retake courses, as our courses often have new students and the conversations and discussions are always varied.
These pathways are a recommended route as the courses are designed to build on the knowledge from the previous course.
Suggested course suites
To help you on your way, we have created two main Recovery College Course Suites. These are a collection of courses which complement each other and can lead you to creating a Wellness Recovery Action Plan or writing and telling your Recovery Story
These complementary courses will be identified in the prospectus by these icons:
THE WELLNESS RECOVERY ACTION PLAN SUITE
THE RECOVERY STORYTELLING SUITE
We advise that you complete as many of these courses before booking onto the WRAP Seminar 1: Building your WRAP (4 day) course or the Recovery Storytelling course The next pages will show you our suites of courses.
We have also created a range of suggested courses that are linked to supporting areas of peoples lives and their wellbeing. These courses will explore topics including physical and mental health, employment, building support and social networks, collaborative care planning and communication skills.
If any of these areas interest you and you’d like to learn more then these courses will be identified in the prospectus by this icon:
LIVING WELL COURSES
If you would like further advice about which courses to choose and help with your learning, please contact the college
The Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) Suite
WRAP is based on 5 key Recovery concepts Hope, Self-Advocacy, Support, Education and Personal Responsibility which will give you a grounding on which to understand and be able to build your WRAP. We have created courses in this suite that cover these topics and other suggested, complementary courses
We advise as a minimum, that you attend a selection of the following courses in Step 1 & Step 2, before attending the Wrap Seminar 1 in Step 3.
Step 1 - What is this Thing Called Recovery?
Step 1 - What is this Thing Called Hope?
Step 1 - What is this thing Called the Wellness Recovery Action Plan?
Step 2 - Introduction to Self-advocacy
Step 2 - Introduction to Building and Strengthening a Support Network
Step 2 - Introduction to Personal Responsibility: It’s my Choices
Step 2 - Making Educated Decisions
Once you have a gained a good understanding of these key concepts you can book onto the WRAP Seminar 1 accredited course For those wishing to become a WRAP facilitator and attend the WRAP Seminar 2 course - please contact the college for further information
The Recovery Storytelling Suite
The Recovery Storytelling course requires students to reflect on an aspect of their personal journey of recovery and to develop a narrative to present to the other group attendees.
To help students feel prepared for this course we have created a suite of courses These will focus on exploring their values, the benefits of goal setting for recovery, the importance of acceptance and understanding the way hope motivates change and growth.
All of these elements can be delivered in a powerful and empowering testimony
We recommend that students attend 1 or more courses within the Recovery and Hope Pathways with the addition of the acceptance, goal setting and values courses as illustrated below. There are some other complimentary courses that will also help students gain additional knowledge and these are highlighted by the storytelling icon throughout the prospectus and timetable.
If you have any questions about this suite, please contact the college.
Courses for Living Your Life Well
Throughout the prospectus you will also find the Living Well icon. This selection of courses are related to mental and physical health, lifestyle, wellbeing, employment, building strong support networks, communication skills and collaborative care planning. An example of a few of the courses in this area are highlighted in the image below
These areas are important to focus on in your recovery journey as they can help influence change where it may be required, as well as educate you in areas that require attention to sustain a healthy life.
We will be adding courses to this selection during the academic year and hope that you will find each of them beneficial You can attend as many courses as you like and as many times as necessary.
If you would like to explore these further and include them in your Learning Plan then please contact the college and we will be happy to link you in with our Student Support Assistant
Step 3 Understanding Sleep for Your Mental health
Step 2
Introduction to Self-Management for Your Wellbeing
Step 2
Introduction to Building and Strengthening a Support Network
Step 3 Creating Environments to Enhance Your Wellness
Step 4
Working Together: Care Planning for Your Recovery
Step 4
Preparing for Employment
For other complimentary courses look for this icon
Step one courses
What is this Thing Called Recovery?
This course aims to introduce the social and mental health definition of Recovery and see the positive ways that this mindset can impact peoples’ journey
What is this Thing Called Hope?
This course will introduce you to the concept of hope, what it is and where you might begin to look for it in your day-to-day life.
What is this Thing Called Agency?
‘This course will explore how, through gaining a good understanding of yourself and your needs, you will feel more confident to make decisions and take an active role in managing your recovery and wellbeing. For carers it will help you to see the importance of taking care of yourself and how to support those you care for, to feel more empowered.
What is this Thing Called Acceptance?
This course will explore what acceptance means in Recovery By increasing their levels of acceptance in key areas, people are able to become ‘unstuck’, start to develop more meaningful lives and reach their full potential.
What is this Thing Called the Wellness Recovery Action Plan?
This course has been designed to introduce you to the Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP).
It will enable you to gain a basic understanding of WRAP and decide if the 4 day WRAP Seminar 1 course will be helpful to you at this point in your journey
If you are unable to attend this course but would like to attend a WRAP Seminar 1 course, or you have any questions, please contact the college and one of the trainers will get back to you.
"The trainers are all wonderful, the college has been a great help in my recovery journey and I have learnt so much"
Recovery College Student
Step two courses
Exploring Your Recovery
This follow-up course will take a deeper dive into the fundamental elements of mental health recovery. Exploring the importance of acceptance and tackling obstacles throughout our recovery journey. We advise students to attend the Step 1 course in the Recovery Pathway prior to booking this
Making Hope a Reality
The aim of this course is to explore the role of hope in mental health recovery and how to break out of the cycle of hopelessness. We advise students to attend the Step 1 course in the Recovery Pathway prior to booking this.
Introduction to Building and Strengthening a Support Network
This course aims to help you to see the value of having a support network in your life to bolster your recovery It will explore ideas about how to build that network and who to include in it.
Introduction to Self-management for Your Wellbeing
This course will explore the benefits of developing management skills to keep your recovery and wellbeing on track
Introduction to Self-Belief
This course will introduce you to the term self-belief and explore why it’s important to Recovery and how you can strengthen it
Introduction to Self-Advocacy
This course will introduce the key Recovery concept of self-advocacy and how it can benefit your mental health Recovery.
Introduction to Personal Responsibility: It’s my Choice
Taking personal responsibility can be the first step towards achieving personal freedom and regaining control in your life This course will explore personal responsibility and the important part it plays in mental health recovery.
Making Educated Decisions
This course will introduce you to the concept of educated decision making and the role it has to play in helping you, or the people you support, feel more empowered in your/their recovery journey.
Step three courses
Maintaining Your Recovery
This third course in our Recovery suite focuses on the importance of building resilience It will explore what at this means and how we can sustain it throughout our recovery journey We advise students to attend the Step 1 and Step 2 courses in the Recovery Pathway prior to booking this course.
Activating Hope
The aim of this course is to help you gain a deeper understanding of hope and how to apply it in a practical way to enhance your mental health recovery journey We advise students to attend the Step 1 and Step 2 courses in the Hope Pathway prior to booking this course.
Understanding my Values
A course that will help you to explore what matters to you most in life Considering what your core values are and how they shape your hopes, attitudes and behaviour can help to focus your recovery more meaningfully
Goal Setting for Your Recovery
This course will explore the benefits of goal setting for your recovery and how to set specifically recoveryfocused goals.
Understanding Emotions
This course will allow you to explore how different emotions impact on your wellbeing and the ways in which you can learn to live with them.
Understanding Stress
This course explores what stress is, how it can affect us and ways we can manage it. You will learn coping mechanisms and practical ways of promoting good mental health
Understanding Anxiety
This course will explore what anxiety is, what happens when we get anxious and ways we can try to manage it.
Understanding Depression
This course explores depression, one of the most common mental health conditions that can affect people of all ages
Understanding Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
This course aims to give you a basic understanding of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and consider how to reduce the stigma surrounding it.
Step three courses
Understanding Sleep for Your Mental Health
This course explores the role of sleep and how it affects mental health.
Understanding Self-Compassion
This course will introduce you to selfcompassion and explain how it can enhance your recovery and wellbeing Exploring the three main parts of self-compassion, mindfulness, the benefits of acceptance and reflecting on the power of self-talk.
Creating Environments to Enhance Your Wellness
This course will explore simple and effective changes we can make to improve the environments we live and work in.
Why Telling Your Recovery Story Matters
This course will introduce you to the idea of recovery story telling and help you understand what it is and how it can benefit you and others.
WRAP Seminar 1 - Building Your WRAP - 4 Day Classroom Course
This course will give you a basic understanding of WRAP and the key concepts that underpin it: Hope, Personal Responsibility, Education, Self-Advocacy and Support
You will explore the different sections of a WRAP from a personal perspective, equipping you with the knowledge to build your own WRAP
Please be aware that there are pre-requisites for this course. Please see the WRAP Suite information or contact the college
'Recovery is the process of rebuilding your life following devastating and life changing events: finding a satisfying and valued life, doing the things that matter to you and pursuing your priorities in life.
The process of grieving what you have lost, finding meaning in what has happened, rebuilding a sense of self and purpose in life and growing beyond what has happened'
Implementing Recovery through Organisational Change (ImROC) Consultants 2020
Step four courses
Recovery: The Person not the Label
This course focuses on how we gain our identity and develop a sense of self. It explores how having a diagnosis can change perceptions around these
As well as identifying the challenges and positive outcomes that having a diagnosis may bring, the course will help students explore how to grow beyond a diagnosis or label and use their experiences in a positive way to move forward.
We advise students to have attend the courses in Step 1, Step 2 and Step 3 in the Recovery Pathway prior to booking this.
Holding the Hope
This course will allow you to further explore the role of hope in your life and work. It will focus on how to build and sustain hope within relationships.
We advise students to have attend the courses in Step 1, Step 2 and Step 3 in the Hope Pathway prior to booking this.
Managing Emotions
The aim of this course is to explore the function of emotions and how we can find ways to build up our resilience.
Managing Anxiety
We all experience different relationships with anxiety This course will help you gain an understanding of contributing factors and coping mechanisms to help manage your anxiety.
Managing Depression
This course explores the cycle of depression and how this can affect our recovery. It will help students identify unhelpful thinking styles, most common to depression and learn how to challenge and overcome these
Working Together: Care Planning for Your Recovery
This course is for any student being supported by or working within mental health services. It will explore the meaning, purpose and benefits of a collaborative approach to care planning in mental health Good care plans are important to support a person's recovery.
Preparing for Employment
This course aims to develop people’s confidence to start looking for work. Addressing peoples worries and things that hold them back from thinking that work is a possibility.
Step four courses
Talking and Listening: It Works
Both Ways – 3 Day Course
Good communication is key to any successful relationship be it with your friends or family or in more formal or professional situations
This 3 day course aims to explore how people communicate and to appreciate the benefits of effective communication
Recovery Storytelling
This course will give students the time to be able to reflect on their personal experiences of recovery They will explore some creative writing techniques that enable them to develop their recovery story and to have the opportunity to share it with the cohort of students
WRAP Seminar 2 - Becoming a WRAP Facilitator - 5 Day Course
This 5 day course is accredited by the ‘Copeland Centre’ and will provide you with the skills and materials you will need to facilitate the evidence based WRAP Seminar 1 classes.
Please be aware that there are pre-requisites for this course.
Please contact the college for further information
The Recovery College has played a massive part in my recovery and I consider myself to be very lucky to have found such a wonderful safe haven.
The college has taught me how to manage my anxiety by educating me with tips, sharing stories, creating a Wellness Toolbox and countless other ways.
Without the Recovery College’s help with my anxiety, I would not have achieved half of the things I have achieved in the past year.
Recovery College Student
Our College charter
What we promise to you What we ask of you
To provide you with the information you need to access all our learning and timetable
To offer you a learning plan to help you get the most out of your learning and progression with the college.
To engage with you in a recovery focused and hopeful way to help you get the most out of your learning and progression with the college.
Where required, to offer you a personalised support plan to help you to meet your individual learning or wellbeing needs
Embrace the diversity of our students and ensure that the learning environment is non-judgemental and inclusive
Be considerate and respectful to students and staff at all times.
Provide you with a safe and friendly learning environment.
Empower you to have self-awareness and encourage self-management at all times
To listen to your comments and views and concerns about the college and respond to you individually in a timely and supportive manner
Handle your enquiries in a friendly but professional manner
To celebrate your success and offer certificates of education for courses that you complete with us.
Provide us with the required information to support your education, safety and wellbeing during our courses
Attend courses punctually and to let us know if you are running late or cannot attend.
To engage and participate in learning in order to learn and grow with the college.
Ask us for help if you need any additional clarification or support in your education
Embrace the diversity in the classroom and help us to keep your learning environment a non-judgemental and inclusive space
Be considerate and respectful to students and staff at all times.
Adhere to guidelines or group agreements to ensure a safe and friendly learning environment.
Respect the personal rights of all college students and staff
Raise any concerns at the earliest opportunity to ensure you receive timely and appropriate support
Build your self-awareness and work towards taking control of your own wellbeing
Recognise your success and be proud of all that you have achieved!
Our learning plans
Learning Plans are available to all students at any point of their journey with the College, but to maximise their effectiveness, we’d recommend completing one as early as possible after your induction/enrolment.
A learning plan is a really useful tool to help you identify your learning goals and then create your own course pathway to help you achieve these goals. In this way, you can keep track of your progress with the college, celebrate your achievements and really get the most out of your college experience.
The Learning Plan can be completed independently or with support from our Learning Plan Assistant, so please contact The Recovery College to book your session.
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Support while at the Recovery College
When you enrol at the Recovery College, please let us know about any anticipated learning or wellbeing support needs. Examples could be physical health conditions, any type of neurodiversity, behaviours that may cause us concern, anything that might get in the way of your concentration or participation and any adaptations you may need.
Due to being an educational establishment not a clinical service, we don’t have access to your medical records or clinical assessments, so we trust in you to tell us anything that is likely to impact on your learning or interaction with other students.
As you live with these support needs, we expect that you will have ways of managing and adapting so it may just be helpful for us to know about them and how you best manage.
However, we also have the option of developing collaborative support plans, working jointly to create plans to address your support needs. If you would like your supporter’s involvement, they are more than welcome.
Support plans can be developed at any point in your time at the Recovery College You can ask for one, your care team can suggest one and/or trainers may suggest one.
Our aim is to create a supportive learning environment and for you to get the most out of your learning.
Student Voice
The Recovery College invites you to attend our Student Voice meetings, currently held online. These are held every three months and all participation is voluntary.
These meetings are a great opportunity for you to be involved in shaping the future of the college and to be part of its success! Exploring and developing ideas, while connecting with fellow students and to be the first to hear of exciting opportunities.
Find out more on our website: www.southernhealth.nhs.uk/recovery or email: recoverycollege@southernhealthnhsuk
The Recovery College Extra
Here at The Recovery College, every three months, we hold The Recovery College Extra, via Zoom. During these, you are able to share your hopeful stories and ideas, based around the proposed theme. Including sharing with other fellow students, healthy coping strategies and your personal growth since attending the college.
The theme is collaboratively chosen during our Student Voice Meetings, which are also held every three months. It is also a great opportunity to connect with other Recovery College students, outside of the classroom environment. At least one member of staff is always present at our Recovery College Extra.
Keep an eye out for an email from our admin team, informing you when our next Recovery College Extra will take place.
We look forward to seeing you there!
How we use and store your information
Theinformationthatyouprovidewillbeusedinthefollowingways:
Whenbookingontocourses-tosendyoubookinginformationand pre-courseinformation.
Marketingmaterialsincluding-prospectusandtimetableupdates, upcomingcoursesandStudentVoiceinformation.
Yourinformationisheldonasecuredatabaseandisnevershared withthirdparties.Foranyfurtherinformationaroundthe protectionofyourdatapleaseclickhere.
Wewillaskyouforbasicdemographicinformationincludingyour name,contactdetailsandemergencycontactinformation.
Youcanalsochoosetosharefurtherinformationaboutany disabilitiesrelatedtoyourlearningneeds.
Theenrolmentdoesnotincludeanassessmentofyourmental health Thisissomethingthathealthcareprofessionalscanhelp youwith,ifitisrelevanttoyourtimeasastudentwithus
Enrolmentatthecollegeisvoluntaryandyoucanendyour enrolmentwithusatanytime.
Ifyouhaveanyfurtherquestionspleasecontactthecollege.
