Recovery College
Recovery College offers a range of free courses for everyone to help benefit your wellbeing, manage signs of poor mental health and provide access to good mental health information and support.
We have a range of different courses some 1 session short courses for those who need just a little bit of support, and some longer 4 session courses for those who want to delve deep and learn new ways of coping, get to know their mental health better and focus on mental health education.
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All our courses are completely FREE of charge, and you can participate in person at our Fenton St office or online. Please note that Recovery College courses are for 18 + only.
To book your place please come to one of our Enrolment Days on the first Monday of the month or call us on 01724 279 500 for more details.
Please note that the places on any of the courses are limited, so please book in advance to avoid disappointment.
Short Courses
Mindfulness
Mindfulness goes by many names, but in essence it is just a practice of being present. Practiced regularly it could help you to feel better, manage anxiety and low moods.
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In this short session we will discover what mindfulness is and what it isn’t and how it can help you in your recovery journey.
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Next available date:
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Monday 2 September, 4 - 6 pm
Thursday 9 January 10 am - 12 pm
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Inner Critic Speaking: Manage Unhelpful Self Talk
We will practice recognising our internal critic, learn strategies on how to manage negative self-talk and convert it into more realistic and supportive inner monologue.
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We will also explore the strategy of positive affirmations and the importance of being kind to yourself.
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Next available date:
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Tuesday 8 October, 2 - 4 pm
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Effective Communication
We will explore what effective communication is and what hinders communication. You will also learn what active listening is and why it is an important part of any communication.
At the end of the session you will be able to recognise communication blockers and boosters that could benefit you in your personal and professional life.
Next available date:
Saturday 16 November, 10 am - 12 pm
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Problem Solving and Smart Goal Setting
We will focus on two very important techniques that you can use in your personal and work life: SMART goal setting and problem solving.
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Problem solving is one of the skills that will help you in many aspects of your life: from work to family life, managing little stresses in your life, to dealing with big life changes.
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SMART goal setting will help you set yourself positive (and most importantly realistic and achievable!) goals that will help with your recovery.
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Next available date:
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Tuesday 17 December, 2 - 4pm
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Full Courses
Manage Overthinking
If overthinking affects your life this course may be just for you!
We will explore what overthinking is and how it can affect our wellbeing, what are the most common thinking distortions that we use and how to prevent negative thoughts running your life.
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- Overthinking or thinking over: finding a middle ground
- Most common negative thinking patterns
- Challenging overthinking
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Dates of Course:
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Saturday 7, 14, 21, 28 September,
10 am - 12 pm
Manage Depression
Depression is one of the most common mental health problems and although we all feel low sometimes, depression is a diagnosis that affects people’s everyday lives.
We will discuss what depression is, it’s symptoms, how positive activities could help you feel better and the role of thinking in depression.
We will also discuss how to challenge unhelpful thoughts to manage depression better.
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- Depression and symptoms
- Depression and activity levels
- Role of thinking in depression
- Challenging unhelpful thinking
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Dates of Course:
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Thursday 12, 19, 26 September and 3 October,
4 - 6 pm
Self Esteem
Self esteem plays a very important part in our wellbeing at work and in our personal life.
Good self-esteem gives us confidence, makes us feel better about ourselves and others, and encourages us to be open to new experiences.
We will focus on what makes our self esteem low, how to recognise negative self-talk and manage it better, in order to develop healthy self-esteem.
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- Everything about self esteem
- Self-esteem and negative thinking
- Challenging negative self-talk
- Focusing on me: positive qualities and activities
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Dates of Course:
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Wednesday 25 September, 2, 9, 16 October,
2 - 4 pm
Effective Wellness Tools (in person only!)
This hands on course is for everyone who would like to try different wellness tools and incorporate the most effective ones into their daily routine.
Each session we will explore different coping strategies and discuss how to practice each of those effectively in different situations.
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- Mindfulness
- Creativity
- Exercise
- Journaling
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Dates of Course:
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Thursday 10, 17, 31 October and 7 November,
10 am - 12 pm
Manage Anxiety and Panic Attacks
Anxiety is one of the most common mental health issues in UK and although it can affect our lives negatively, there are ways to manage it better.
In this course we will explore what anxiety is and what behavioural, physical and cognitive effect it has on us. We will also learn how to challenge unhelpful thoughts and share other tips to deal with anxiety better.
At the end of each session we will try different relaxation techniques.
- What is anxiety and causes of anxiety
- Manage anxiety by challenging negative thoughts
- Self help: choose your behaviour to challenge anxiety
- Other ways to deal with anxiety
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Dates of Course:
Wednesday 30 October and 6, 13, 20 November,
2 - 4 pm
Keeping Yourself Well in the Stressful World
Almost 3 in 4 adults in UK have felt so stressed at some point over the last year that they felt overwhelmed or unable to cope.
Stress is reaching epidemic levels in our world and in the last few years the levels of stress were increasing for a lot of us.
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We will focus on stress, how it affects our ability to cope and what we can do to manage it better.
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- Everything about stress and most common stressors today
- Making your 'Stress Container' bigger: 5 ways to wellbeing
- Coping strategies and techniques
- Automatic negative thoughts and how to manage them
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Dates of Course:
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Thursday 21, 28 November and 5, 12 December,
10 am - 12 pm
Dealing with Loss and Change
‘There is nothing permanent except change’ said ancient philosopher Heraclitus.
Although change is inevitable, it may be quite difficult to deal with changes related to work and personal life.
This course is developed to help you deal with change better, whether it’s the loss of loved ones or changes in work related activity.
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It will help you understand why we feel the way we feel and what we could do to help ourselves when we experience unexpected, unwanted and uncontrollable changes.
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Dates of Course:
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Monday 25 November and 2, 9, 16 December,
4 - 6 pm
Anger Management
We all have variety of emotions that we do not like or that can cause problems in our lives and anger is probably one of those.
We will be discussing what anger is and exploring techniques that would help you deal with it better.
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- Understanding anger
- Challenging unhelpful thinking
- Anger and assertiveness
- Cope with criticism and disappointment better
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Date of Course:
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Wednesday 27 November and 4, 11, 18 December,
4 - 6 pm
Self Care Essentials
Our mental health often depends on little but very important daily essentials like good sleep, healthy diet, physical exercise and rest.
We will focus on developing positive routine and encourage you to build good daily habits.
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- Sleep hygiene
- Food and mood
- Exercise your way to wellness
- Relaxation your way
- Self-compassion
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Dates of Course:
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Monday 6, 13, 20, 27 January,
4 - 6 pm
Wellbeing at Work
In recent years work has undergone a drastic change for a lot of us and for many coming back to ‘normal’ can be even more stressful than starting working remotely. Mental health is one of the leading causes of sickness absences in UK and a growing number of employers are recognising that taking care of employees wellbeing pays off.
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In this course we will discuss how to take care of your wellbeing at work, learn few strategies that would help you solve problems, prioritise your workload, become more assertive at work and much more.
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- Workplace Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP)
- Good time management and prioritising
- Assertiveness and problem solving
- Expanding your wellness toolbox at work and your rights
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Dates of Course:
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Tuesday 7, 14, 21, 28 January
5 - 6 pm
How to Manage Stress
The last few years has been particularly stressful for a lot of us and although stress is not mental health diagnosis, prolonged stress can contribute to poor mental wellbeing.
We will focus on stress and main stresses in life, learn how to recognise it and learn to manage it in more positive way.
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- Everything about stress: types, causes and effect
- Thinking patterns and stress
- Useful techniques to manage stress
- Stress essentials: daily self care
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Dates of Course:
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Saturday 18, 25 January and 1, 8 February,
10 am - 12 pm
Assertiveness
This is for everyone who is interested in assertiveness and wants to learn how to use it to achieve work and personal goals.
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We will discuss what assertiveness is and isn’t, analyse different situations and try to identify our own communication style.
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- Assertiveness and other communication styles
- Communication blockers and boosters
- Different assertiveness techniques
- Dealing with criticism in an assertive way
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Dates of Course:
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Wednesday 22, 29 January and 5, 12 February,
2 - 4 pm
Carer Courses
We are all affected by mental health issues. We might know someone who suffers with mental health issues or has family member/friend who needs support.
Having an effective support network could speed the recovery and prevent relapse, but sometimes even support network needs support. Therefore we have designed a few short courses for people who support family and friends with mental health issues.
How to Support Someone with Mental Health Issues
We will help you gain more confidence in supporting someone with mental health issues.
We will focus on what you could do to give reassurance and support, what to avoid and how to work with person towards their recovery.
Date of Course:
Monday 16 September, 4 - 6 pm
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Things are Not Well: Recognise First Signs
Early intervention makes recovery quicker and can prevent mental health becoming worse.
Recognising first signs and symptoms of MH problem in your spouse or a friend and knowing what to do is very important for their wellbeing and yours.
We will focus on most common mental health issues and give you tools that will help you identify first symptoms.
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Date of Course:
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Monday 14 October, 4 - 6 pm
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After Crisis: What to Expect and How to Support
Crisis can be a frightening experience, but coming back to daily routine after crisis can be no less daunting.
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We will introduce the importance of post crisis care and to offer some tips and suggestions that would make the transition from crisis to daily life better.
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Date of Course:
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Monday 4 November, 4 - 6 pm
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Talking Care of Yourself
Supporting others starts with taking good care of yourself.
We will explore the 5 ways to wellbeing and other ways to have good mental health.
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We will also debunk myths about self-care and why it is important to focus on you while supporting someone else.
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Date of Course:
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Monday 10 February, 4 - 6 pm
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