About us
The Recovery College offers free workshops and courses where you can learn about mental health and find new ways to support your wellbeing.
Our community courses are for adults (18+) who live, work, or study in Leeds. We also welcome carers, family members and friends.
We run a seperate programme for people who work in the Leeds Health and Care System. If you work for the NHS, a charity, or Leeds City Council, these staff courses are also free.
You don't need a referral, a mental health diagnosis, or to be accessing a mental health service to join a course.
The Recovery College is not a mental health service, and we don't offer one-to-one support. Instead, we provide wellbeing-focused learning that may sit alongside any other support you may be receiving.
Our courses are interactive and discussion-based. You can learn about mental health, share ideas, and try out wellbeing tools that may help you in everyday life.
Each course is co-led by people who have lived with their own mental health challenges, along with healthcare professionals and wellbeing trainers. Each course has at least two faciliators, so you hear different voices and experiences.
'A friendly space to meet others, talk in small groups, reflect on what you need, and learn together.'
You can pick the courses you're interested in. We ask you to come to the first session and try to attend atleast 80% of the course.
All our courses take place in community venues, not clinical settings and groups are kept small so everyone can take part.
At the start of each course, we create a group agreement together. It usually includes things like listening respectfully, only sharing what feels comfortable, and and keeping personal stories private.
We also have a student charter and code of conduct that we ask you to read when you enrol.
Link: Our student charter and code of conduct
If you feel nervous about attending a course on your own, you're welcome to bring a friend, carer or support worker. They'll just need to register seperatley and take part in the session too.
A look at Recovery Colleges.
Recovery Colleges started in America in the 1990s. They were called Recovery Education Centres and were created to help people learn about mental health, meet others, and focus on personal recovery - which is different to clinical treatment.
They were inspired by the recovery movement in mental health, which believes that people can live meaningful lives alongside mental health challenges.
The first Recovery College in the UK opened in London in 2009. Today, there are more than 220 across the UK and many more around the world. (Imroc)
Some Recovery Colleges are run by the NHS. Others are run by charities or community groups. They all focus on community, learning and hope.
Each Recovery College is run differently. Some are open to everyone, while others are only for people using secondary mental health services.
Recovery Colleges use an adult-education approach. They're not therapy. They're about learning together, exploring wellbeing, and finding practical tools to help you live a meaningful life, even if symptoms continue.
Video: Recovery College: From mental health patient to recovery student
Leeds Recovery College opened in 2019. We are part of the Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.
We focus on supporting people across Leeds, and our courses are free to adults (18+) who live, work or study here.
We have a small, dedicated team and working with a wide range of faciliatators - people with lived experience, health and care staff, and wellbeing specialists from across Leeds.