Recovery Colleges are different to any mental health support services you’ve seen before.
Rather than taking a clinical or therapeutic approach (doing things like providing diagnosis, prescribing medication or giving counselling), we follow an educational approach to recovery. This means that we believe that the more we can learn about ourselves, a particular diagnosis, or about tried-and-tested strategies, the more we can look after ourselves and each other.
We aren’t saying that other approaches aren’t useful too – in fact, we think learning at the Recovery College often works best when it’s done alongside other treatment or therapies. However, we do think there’s something really powerful about equipping yourself with lots of knowledge and tools that you’ve found to work well for you.
The other thing that’s really special about the Recovery College approach is Co-Production. This means that everything we do, from designing and delivering the courses to strategic decisions, is done together. We have two types of Tutors: Experts by Experience and Experts by Training, who work together closely to provide a rounded and thorough perspective on any topic you may be studying with us. This draws on both professional expertise and lived experience, and we think that both are equally important.
Lastly, Recovery Colleges are for everyone – people experiencing mental health challenges; carers, friends and family; staff and volunteers; and just about anyone else! We think that there’s real value in all of these different people learning together and sharing their experiences.