“Creating hope, understanding and a sense of belonging”

What do we do?

We offer a range of free recovery-focused educational courses aimed at people who are living with mental health challenges. Our courses are designed and delivered by people with personal and professional experience, working together in equal partnership.

The courses are designed to be welcoming, informal, friendly and enjoyable. Our courses are delivered by a variety of professionals working from different agencies, working alongside our recovery college staff.

The courses are for those who wish to learn with others to identify and develop strengths, build on confidence and explore opportunities for improving their life. We also aim to build social engagement and community amongst peers, with encouragement and support to move forward at a pace suitable for each person.

Recovery College Courses - Who are they for?

Mental illness can affect any of us. In fact, around one in four people will experience mental illness at some point in their lives.

The recovery college takes an educational, rather than a therapeutic approach to equip people through a variety of recovery-focused courses with the knowledge, understanding and practical skills to best manage and get on with their lives.

These skills are relevant to all of us whether we’re service users, carers, or health professionals, so the recovery college welcomes anyone using Waltham Forest community mental health services. 

The courses are run from a number of venues in the borough, and at different times. So we hope to have courses, and at times, that best suit you.

Getting started

Our prospectus and the course options are designed to enable you to move on in a supportive, structured and progressive way.  Some students choose to stay with us for one course; others plan to develop their learning by attending other courses. You can access these at the right hand side of this page.

We have a range of learning opportunities available that we hope will support you during your time at the college and skills that you can take with you. Our peer trainers will be happy to guide you through your course options, the enrolment process, either face to face or over the telephone. Our contact details can be found below.

How to enrol

Find the courses/workshops that are running this term in the most current Prospectus (at the right-hand side of page) and complete the online enrolment form by selecting any that you would like to join. For support with enrolment, you can also contact us via the details below.

Are you a carer, supporting someone using a service?

Click here

 

Jane Atkinson Health & Wellbeing Centre
Thorpe Coombe site
714 Forest Road
Walthamstow
E17 3HP

Tel: 0300 300 1546

Email: WFRecoveryCollege@nelft.nhs.uk

Recovery College Lead: Adebisi Gbadebo

For more information and to receive a copy of the enrolment form, please contact your named worker or the Recovery College Team on 0300 300 1546 (you can leave a message and someone will get back to you) or email us on WFRecoveryCollege@nelft.nhs.uk

Guiding Principles of Waltham Forest Recovery College

1. It reflects recovery values, with the purpose of offering support for people to take back control of their lives.
2. It operates on educational principles rather than clinical, people attend as students not patients.
3. It offers complementary approaches to traditional assessment and treatment.
4. Courses are co-produced, designed and delivered by people with personal and professional experience working together in partnership.
5. Peer trainers offer advice, guidance and support to students in making personal learning plans.
6. It can offer a bridge to build confidence in taking up studies and training in other establishments.
7. It covers key areas for personal recovery designed to provide a wide range of effective supports for self-management.
8. It uses feedback from students to monitor the success of the individual’s learning experience and their personal goals for gaining hope, opportunity and control of their lives.
9. It attempts to build Social Engagement and Community Support to encourage independence, health and wellbeing for participants.

Code of Conduct

This code of conduct aims to ensure that everyone who attends the Recovery College has a positive, enriching experience and will want to return.

We ask that everyone attending the Recovery College:

• Behaves in a responsible manner that fosters mutual respect and understanding
• Respects the rights, life choices, beliefs and opinions of others
• Does not behave in any way that may be considered threatening or disruptive or likely to lead to emotional harm to any students or staff
• Does not attend the college under the influence of alcohol, non-prescribed medication/street drugs
• Does not use violent, disorderly or offensive behaviour or language

We all have a responsibility to ensure that this code is respected and adhered to. Please approach a member of staff if you have any concerns.

If we feel that you have breached this code of conduct, we will discuss this with you and try to find a way forward.