Accessing Recovery Education

Introduction to webinars

This session is an opportunity to see and test GoToWebinar software and explore the functions of our standard webinars. You will be given the option during the session to move to GoToMeeting and trial the functions of our enhanced Webinars. This is also a chance to test the compatibility of your chosen device.

Recovery

Recovery

This course will start to explore what recovery means to individuals through shared learning, reflection, definitions and models. There is opportunity to think about your own strengths, skills, values and recovery journey, whilst acknowledging the challenges.

Recovery for carers and supporters

Recovery for Carers and Supporters is delivered in two sessions. Week 1 will explore the experience of being a carer and share our learning around that experience both as individuals and in relation to services. We will also look at what support is available to carers locally. In week 2 we will think about the recovery journey for carers, the importance of boundaries and how we, as carers, can keep going!

Reflective Space

This reflective space provides an opportunity for existing students to join us in reflecting on their learning journey with the Recovery Education Centre. It will provide you with an opportunity to celebrate with us as well as talk about any of our courses you have attended and/or online resources you have used. We very much value all of our student feedback, and it is a chance to share your learning with us. We would welcome any ideas you may have for the future of our REC.

Understanding self

Self compassion

This course explores ways we can bring more self compassion into our lives. We will discuss the concept of being kind to yourself, exploring how we can set boundaries and build resilience and you will learn ways that you can practice self-compassion.

Spirituality

Spirituality is about identifying the meaning and purpose in our lives helping us to find hope and direction. The course explores what we see as spirituality and offers resources and ideas to share, aiming to help us develop spiritual practice and awareness in the everyday.

Strengths

This course aims to help us to recognise what strengths are and how we might identify our own. We will do this together by exploring how using our strengths makes us feel, how we have used strengths when we have been challenged, and how we might build on the strengths we have. Throughout, we will “focus on what is strong, not what is wrong”.

Values

Values are linked to what is important to us and can be guiding principles to how we live our lives. This course aims to explore what values are and the impact these have on our wellbeing and recovery. We will explore ways that we can connect with our own values.

Managing everyday

Self Management

This course aims to explore what we mean by self-management, and why and how we might do it. We will explore identity, the importance of building a routine, and self-advocacy and how they can enable us to self-manage. We will start to think about building a toolbox of skills and coping strategies.

Change

Change can be extremely difficult and a source of great anxiety or worry. This course looks at the process of change, focusing on how it applies to a journey of personal recovery.

We will explore different models of change whilst recognising some of the barriers and what can be done to overcome them. We will look at each stage of the change process, to enable you to start to identify how you can best support your own process of change and recovery, or how to effectively support the recovery journey of others. This course is delivered in two sessions.

Early Warning Signs

Being able to identify our early warning signs can help us to manage our own mental health. This course will describe what they are and why they are important. We will start to identify possible early warning signs alongside thinking about what helps.

Sleep

During this course we will share ideas about what might help us get a better night’s sleep. We will look at why sleep is important and what may get in the way, noticing some of the difficulties around sleep and what might cause them.

Boundaries

In this course we look at what we mean by boundaries and how they can help maintain healthy relationships. We discuss how it can sometimes feel difficult to set boundaries, then we go on to explore ways that can help us put them in place.

Introducing Pain Management

Persistent pain affects approximately 1 in 3 of the UK adult population. This course will explore the complexity of personal experience with persistent pain and its impact on daily life. Recognising the physical and emotional challenges of living with daily pain and sharing experiences can build confidence to use in self-management. The information is aimed at anyone who is affected by persistent pain, for example, carers, professionals and those living with the condition. The trainers are unable to provide a diagnosis or answers about individual treatments. This course is delivered in one session.

Living with and understanding mental health

Window of Tolerance

This course will introduce the Window of Tolerance model. This approach will support you to understand how to care for yourself and others. When we are inside our window, we feel calm, safe and able to make choices and decisions. When we move outside our window, we may feel overwhelmed or numb. This course will explore how and why we move outside of our window and identify things we can do to expand and return to those feelings of safety.

Exploring Emotions

This course provides an introduction to identifying our emotions which helps us to begin to understand more about how to manage them. Session one looks at the nine basic emotions, exploring definitions and information about how and why we experience these emotions and the impact they can have on our wellbeing. Students will have an opportunity after this session to explore how they personally experience certain emotions with the accompanying workbook. Session two will continue to build on understanding emotions and will explore some coping skills.

Dissociation

This course aims to raise awareness and encourage discussion about dissociative conditions and experiences. We will introduce concepts about the origins and symptoms of dissociation as well as exploring barriers to diagnosis and common myths about dissociative disorders. We will also start to explore some basic tools to help self-manage dissociative symptoms.

Unusual Experiences

Psychosis, Hearing Voices, Paranoia and other unusual experiences

This course explores possible unusual experiences and our own understanding of them. We will look at the impact stress has on them and our wellbeing, and start to identify things that can help us to manage.

Making Sense of Grief

Grief is a normal human response to loss of many kinds, however people can find themselves stuck in grief and it can impact their mental health. This course aims to explore the various dimensions of grief and the affect it can have on our lives: emotional, physical and social. We will look at ways we can cope during the process of grieving and suggest some tools for managing grief.

Depression

This course aims to explore depression and enable us to share our experiences. We will discuss symptoms and experiences of depression and how they impact on us. We identify strategies that may help including recognising the importance of connections and self-care.

Managing Mood

The managing mood course is delivered across two sessions. Many people experience changes in their mood which in turn has an effect on their day to day routines and wellbeing. We explore mood and discuss how identifying anchor points can connect us with helpful coping strategies and build resilience when things feel more challenging.

Understanding Unusual Experiences

Unusual experiences can mean a lot of different things. We think of experiences such as hearing voices or seeing things other people can’t see, as well as feeling suspicious and paranoid. These experiences can be part of a diagnosis like psychosis. On this course, we will talk about how we can build an understanding of unusual experiences, as well as ways to move towards the things in life that are important to us. We look at the reasons why we can have these experiences, as well as things like warning signs when things are getting worse, coping skills and strategies, the bigger picture of change and living a life that is meaningful to you. We also look at things like the cycle of change and acceptance, sleep and other factors that can make a big difference to our overall wellbeing. We think about things from the biological side, the psychological side and also the social side of life.

The course runs for 8 weeks online and is hosted by the Recovery Education Centre. It has been co-produced and will be co-facilitated by the Dorset Mental Health Forum and local psychology services. Please note this course is only accessible to students who have lived experience of unusual experiences.

Introduction to Bipolar

This course aims to support individuals, families, and supporters to understand a bipolar diagnosis. We will discuss some experiences of high and low mood whilst exploring the impact this may have on daily living. We will start to identify what recovery and wellbeing might look like.

Exploring Bipolar

Living with bipolar can sometimes feel like you’re on a roller coaster with little control. You can lose sight of who you are, your connections and what is important to you. The course builds on our Introduction to bipolar course, and aims over four sessions to explore how we can live well with bipolar, reconnecting with ourselves and our wellbeing. It includes exploring mood, early warning signs, coping, wellbeing, recovery, communication, supporters and moving forward. Please note this course is only accessible to students who have a diagnosis of bipolar. 

Anxiety

This course starts by asking what we mean by anxiety and how it feels. We go on to think about what we might know already about how to manage it and why it can feel hard to do sometimes. Together we will explore the importance of what is in and out of our control, what it means to ‘step out of our comfort zone’ and finally to look at some more techniques to manage anxiety.

ADHD

This course is split into 3 sessions. In session 1 we will define ADHD and create a shared understanding of what this means. In session 2 we will explore what it's like living with ADHD and think about impact, challenges and strengths of ADHD. In the final session, we look at what living well with ADHD could mean to you, and what it means to us.

Printable PDF version of course descriptions

Discovery Project Courses

Young Adults' Recovery

Working alongside the Discovery Project we’re joint hosting this course for young adults aged 18 to 25 on recovery, mental health and wellbeing. It aims to explore an understanding of Recovery/Discovery, what this can mean and what matters to young people. It’s an opportunity learn more about skills, strengths, values and shared experiences alongside Discovery NHS
Trainers and Young Person’s Peer Specialists.

Understanding Young Person’s Recovery - A course for supporters of young people

Working alongside the Discovery Project, who work with young people under the age of 25, we’re joint hosting this course for parents, carers and supporters. It aims to share and explore an understanding on young people's mental health, the challenges they face, how the concept of Recovery can translate to them with an opportunity to start exploring how supporting a young person can affect supporter’s wellbeing and ways to look after ourselves.

Follow the link to find out more about the Discovery Project.