The Northern Trust Recovery College offers free courses to help you increase awareness and understanding of your own personal wellbeing.
Through education, we support people to overcome challenges by helping you with self-management skills and learning from experiences of others.
Information about our courses
Like other colleges, we have terms, timetables, a prospectus and students.
- All our courses are free – you can attend as many or as few as you wish.
- Everyone is welcome (aged 16 years and over), including people who use our services, carers, families, Trust staff and members of the general public.
- Courses are delivered online and in community settings
- Learning is informal and fun.
- We offer face-to-face and online workshops.
- Sessions generally last 1.5 hours.
- Participation in sessions is optional – it is not school!
- Everyone is equal and all experience is valuable.
- Our courses are friendly, informative, and enjoyable and are delivered by trainers who have lived and learned experience. Our trainers will share elements of their own recovery stories throughout each session.
- The focus is on learning – courses are educational and not a substitute for other therapies.
- Education is based on recovery principles of hope, opportunity, control and empowerment.
How to apply for a course
You must register in order to book your place on courses. We can help you with this.
You can register by post, email, online or over the phone.
How to contact us
Recovery College Hub, Carrick 3, 60 Steeple Road, Antrim, BT41 2RJ
- Register online
- Telephone: 028 9441 3449 to complete registration over the phone.
- Email: Recovery.college@northerntrust.hscni.net
If you register online, we will contact you by email or phone to confirm the place on the course, or if you have been placed on the waiting list.
You will also receive a letter of confirmation along with any relevant course material and additional information.
We will send a reminder email or text one week and one day prior to the course start date.
If you can no longer attend any of the courses, please let us know as soon as possible.
Our courses have waiting lists and if you can no longer attend, these can be offered to others on the lists.
If you no longer wish to be on the Recovery College mailing list, please contact us by telephone on 028 9441 3449 or email Recovery.college@northerntrust.hscni.net, and we will remove you from our database.
Timetables
Our timetables are produced every two months and are shared with our mailing lists, online and on Facebook. You can also call the office to obtain a copy.
Programme of courses
Sometimes it is difficult to know what courses to do and in what order. We have included a plan within our prospectus that may be helpful for you when choosing your sessions. We have categorised each course into one of the following:
- Starting off with the college
A group of sessions that may be useful for anyone beginning their learning with the College. They are designed to assist your understanding of recovery as you move through your own recovery journey. - Developing my knowledge and wellbeing
Sessions that are designed to increase knowledge on a number of mental health and general wellbeing topics, exploring tools that may support ourselves or others in their recovery journey. - Going forward: Tools to support wellbeing
Sessions designed to consider the value of your recovery story and how you may develop skills/tools to further support both yourself and others. - Living with/understanding
Sessions designed to increase our knowledge in relation to specific conditions. They acknowledge individual experience, exploring the different aspects of support and self-management.
Helpful tips for attending courses online
- Be prepared in advance – download the online platform. Use the user guide included with your registration pack to download.
- You will receive codes for courses prior to the day they are due. If you have not received them – please contact our office.
- Please remain on mute to help eliminate background noise and prevent disturbing others. There will be opportunities for conversations throughout the courses.
- Try to complete sessions in a space free from distractions, whilst remaining comfortable.
- Bring refreshments so you don’t have to miss any of the session.
- Course presentations (where applicable) will be posted out prior to the course commencing for you to follow along with.
- Please display your name or let the trainers know your name to ensure we can mark your attendance, you can receive your certificate, and have the course counted towards the graduation.
Attending courses in the community
When attending in the community you will receive a pack on the day with everything you need – pens, course slides and a feedback form. You do not need to bring anything.
If you are running late – please let us know.
If you wish to be accompanied by someone, please ensure they have registered with the College as well.
Tea/coffee will be provided – but please feel free to bring other refreshments if you wish.
Find out more about the Recovery College
Watch our video to hear more about our college.
Recovery approach
In mental health, everybody has a different understanding of recovery. However, most would accept that recovery doesn’t mean a total ‘cure’ from symptoms. Instead, it recognises the development of an individual’s coping strategies and self-management tools to help deal with challenges as and when they arise.
In the Recovery College, one of the concepts we like to focus on is that of hope.
Connecting with and developing this principle can be life changing and positively impact on an individual’s journey. Recovery emphasizes that while people may not have control over symptoms, they can have full control over their lives. Recovery is not about ‘getting rid’ of problems. It is about seeing an individual beyond their mental health, recognising their strengths, abilities, interests and dreams.
All experiences can provide us with opportunities for change, reflection and discovery of new values, skills and interests.
Based on content from www.mentalhealth.org.uk
It is always encouraging to hear first-hand testimonies from those students that attended courses and report significant improvement in managing their mental health and wellbeing. We would encourage you to have a look at our prospectus, to identify sessions best suited to your needs, and to apply for either a community or online course.
Additional information
Protecting and using your information
In order for the Northern Health and Social Care Trust to help provide a service for you we need to know some information about you. Personal information that we process about you is governed by the Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). We only collect the information we need to – this is all included on our registration form. Information you provide to us is recorded on a paper file and also on our computer systems. We collect this information to be able to contact you in regard to the workshops you have registered for, and any other information you have agreed to receive. Your information may also be used for gathering Recovery College statistics.
If your information changes, please let us know as soon as possible as we have no access to your clinical files.
Travel
We do not pay travel expenses, and we are unable to provide a transport service to or from our courses.