A new term of the Western Health and Social Care Trust’s (Western Trust) Recovery College will begin later this month.

The new Autumn 2022 prospectus has a wide range of courses relating to mental health and wellbeing.

Yvonne Cairns, newly appointed Recovery College Co-ordinator, said: “Our courses are free and open to all –those who use services, people with mental health issues whether diagnosed or otherwise, carers and supporters, students, health professionals – in fact, anyone who is interested in good mental health.”

She added: “The college grows from strength to strength, and I am excited to formally welcome two new Peer Educators, Dermot Brady and Joanne McMaster, to our team.”

Face-to-face courses will run in Enniskillen, Omagh, Strabane, Londonderry and Limavady as well as evening courses delivered online via Zoom.

Yvonne said: “The courses are co-designed and co-facilitated by people with lived experience of the topic along with a health professional, so a broad perspective and understanding is offered.

‘Grateful’

“We are grateful to all those individuals who have given and continue to give their time, experience, and knowledge to the Recovery College – who feel compelled to share the message of recovery.”

Bernadette Donaghy, Lead Peer Educator for the Recovery College, said: “I’m a peer educator and I started as a student myself, and came to the classes and workshops myself.”

Detailing her own experience, Bernadette said: “You kind of feel like you can be the odd one out and then you go into the room and people are talking about their mental health, saying: ‘I have depression’, or ‘I have anxiety’.”

“There is no stigma there – there is just understanding. The peer educators stand with the facilitators who share the theoretical side and the peer educators share their experiences and say ‘I’ve had those dark days, dark thoughts and dark nights’.

“We don’t sugar-coat it; we believe everyone has potential for recovery and we are showing that with the person who has the lived experience.”

Of the courses, Yvonne said: “It is a very individual, unique journey for everyone. The three prongs of recovery are hope, control and opportunity, and we covey all those aspects in our workshops.”

Yvonne Cairns, Recovery College Coordinator

Yvonne Cairns, Recovery College Coordinator

‘A holistic view’

Detailing some of the courses on offer as part of Recovery College, she continued: “We try to take a holistic view of health and recovery. We have [courses such as] ‘Exploring our Thoughts’, which is about automatic negative thoughts; we also have ‘Understanding Obsessive Compulsive Disorder’, as one of our diagnosis-specific courses.

“We see ourselves as a preventative step, so we do courses such as ‘Depression and Low Mood’, and ‘Coping with Christmas’, because sometimes if you catch someone on a downward spiral early enough you can prevent them from going in to use other services.”

An information and registration session will be held in Enniskillen at Fermanagh House next week on Wednesday, September 14 between 1pm and 3pm.

The term commences the week beginning Monday, September 19, and registration for the courses is essential.

The prospectus can be viewed online and the application form downloaded at www.westerntrust.hscni.net

For further information or to register, contact the Recovery College at 028 8283 3291, or 028 8225 2079, or email recoverycollege@westerntrust.hscni.net.