The Western Sydney Recovery College (Recovery College) was developed to build the capacity of people with lived experience of mental health concerns through a series of courses. These courses are co-designed by people with lived experience and aim to assist people on their recovery journey while also increasing the knowledge, skills, and awareness of mental health within the wider Western Sydney community.
People with lived experience of mental health concerns often find it challenging to commence and continue their recovery journey. This can be due to stigma, a lack of flexible or appropriate education opportunities, and cost barriers. Recovery College aims to address these issues and enable its students to learn and grow in a safe and respectful environment, giving them a chance to access education and training programs designed to help them on their road to recovery. Students attending the course are empowered to become experts in their recovery and emotional wellbeing and achieve their goals and aspirations. By creating a resilient peer-led delivery support system, Recovery College aims to embed recovery-based mental health best practices within the local community.
Run by One Door Mental Health, Recovery College courses are conducted face-to-face as well as online to provide students with the maximum flexibility to work around their jobs, study, or other commitments. All Recovery College courses are free to anyone who lives, works or volunteers within the Western Sydney region. As well as supporting those with mental health concerns, Recovery College is also open to friends, carers, health professionals and service providers to upskill the community in how best to support people with mental illness and reduce stigma.
For the financial year 2021-2022, Recovery College delivered 85 courses to a total of 272 students and had 604 attendees across all the courses which shows that students are attending more than one course. Fifty-five students have completed recognised or accredited learning qualifications, which will support their future employment and recovery, and four Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health courses were delivered in the last financial year. These courses have provided the students and the community with valuable skills to support the most vulnerable individuals experiencing mental health concerns.
Who can Attend?
Recovery College is open and free to:
- Those with lived experience of mental health conditions
- Carers, family or friends of someone with mental health conditions
- Mental health workers or workers in the community services sector
- Community service workers or volunteers
- Anyone 18 years or more living, studying, working or providing services in the Western Sydney region
Case Study
The Recovery College occasionally invites family groups to attend a particular course. This could include parents and adult children, siblings, or extended family. This can help clients feel more comfortable in new sessions and provide the family member with an insight into the mental distress their loved one is experiencing in their daily life and what they can do to support them.
Marie* and Alice* are a mother and daughter who attended a Recovery College class together. Alice, the daughter, had attended several classes in the past and was enjoying learning new things and becoming more social. Her increased confidence in the way she engaged in class discussions had been noticed by the educators. Having her mother, Marie, attend meant a lot to her as Marie could see how she interacted with other students. This part of the course specifically looked at managing mental health from the perspective of a client, a carer and a service provider. This multi-perspective activity helped learners better understand each other’s perspectives and opened conversations between roles. The mixture of students with different mental health challenges in the same class demonstrates the strength of bringing together varied student experiences.
The class has helped initiate ongoing conversations between Marie and Alice about how Marie can best support her daughter, and how Alice can help her mum to understand her needs.
Register and Refer
Knowledge is the foundation for reducing mental health stigma and aiding recovery in our communities. Find out more about the Western Sydney Recovery College and the courses available to your patients.