About us
The Recovery College offers a range of workshops and courses where you can learn about mental health and explore ways to support your wellbeing.
While our main focus is aimed towards people looking to improve their own mental health and wellbeing, we also welcome carers, friends, family members, and staff and volunteers who are supporting others to join in our courses.
Our courses are free and available for adults (18+) living, working, or studying in Leeds.
We also have a special programme of workshops and events specifically for people working in the Leeds Health and Care System. If you're part of the NHS, a charity, or Leeds City Council, our Health and Care Staff programme is also free for you.
You don't have to be referred to the Recovery College, have a mental health diagnosis, or be seeing a mental health service to join us.
The Recovery College isn't a mental health service, and we don't provide any form of personalised mental health support.
Instead, we offer a range of training courses and workshops, which may support your wellbeing and mental health. They're different from traditional mental health and clinical services, but may be complementary to any other professional support you may be receiving.
Join us for some interactive and discussion based courses where you can explore mental health topics and new ways to support your wellbeing.
Our courses are co-led by people who have experienced their own mental health journeys, working alongside healthcare professionals, subject specialists and wellbeing trainers who all bring their expertise.
With at least two facilitators in each course, we make sure that both personal experiences and professional insights are shared, giving you a variety of perspectives and ideas to explore together.
A welcoming space for connecting with peers, chatting in groups, reflecting on your personal needs, and learning together.
You choose the course and workshops which are of interest to you. We ask that you attend the first session and feel able to attend at least 80% of the course when you make the booking.
Our courses are held in community spaces (not clinical settings), and we keep our groups small to encourage lots of discussion and activities.
At the start of each course, we come up with a group agreement to set the tone of how we work together. This includes things like listening to each other respectfully, sharing as much or as little as you want, and keeping personal stories shared in the training private.
The Recovery College also has a student charter and code of conduct that we ask you to read, when you enrol and book a course.
If you feel uncertain about attending alone, we welcome friends, carers, or support staff to register for the workshop or course alongside you.
We understand that participating in a course and meeting new people can be difficult. If you find it beneficial to attend a workshop or the initial session of a longer course with someone familiar, we encourage their participation. However, we kindly request that they complete their own registration and actively engage in the session and any discussions.
A brief look at Recovery Colleges.
Recovery Colleges stated out in America in the 1990s, where they were known as 'Recovery Education Centres'. These places were created to help people learn about mental health, connect with peers, share their experiences, and focus on personal recovery (which is different to clinical treatment).
Inspired by the recovery movement in mental health, which believes that people can live a meaningful life despite mental health challenges, the first Recovery College in the UK opened in London in 2009. Since then, there are now over 220 of them across the UK, and even more around the world. (Imroc)
Recovery Colleges come in all shapes and sizes. Some are run by the NHS, while others are set up by charities or community organisations. Despite their different funding sources, they all share the same goal of being community focused.
When it comes to joining courses, the eligibility can differ from one Recovery College to another. Some are open to everyone in the community, while others might only accept people using secondary mental health services.
Built on the Adult Education model, Recovery Colleges take a different approach to therapy, or a personalised mental health support. They focus on learning and exploring wellbeing themes together. Recognising that symptoms may stick around, but that there may be tools and strategies to live better.
Video: Recovery College: From mental health patient to recovery student
Leeds Recovery College opened in 2019 and is part of the Leeds and York NHS Partnership Foundation Trust, and is supported by the Leeds Health and Care Academy.
We have a focus on supporting the wellbeing of people in Leeds and our courses are available to adults (18+) who live, work or study here.
We've got a small but dedicated team, and we team up with a diverse group of facilitators who have lived experiences, health and care professionals, and wellbeing experts from various organisations around Leeds to deliver our training together.