The Exchange Recovery College

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About the service

Barnsley Recovery College, also known as The Exchange, is a new service that offers educational courses and workshops to people accessing Trust mental health services and their families and carers.

Courses focus on helping people to recover and give information to help people learn new ways of managing their health and wellbeing. Examples of courses include: confidence and assertiveness, fear the fear (learning how to live and manage anxiety) and getting a good nights sleep.

The focus of courses at the Recovery College is to help people develop new skills which help to improve health and wellbeing. Each person attending the college will be offered an Individual learning plan which helps them to plan their goals and aspirations.

All courses have been designed by college staff and people who have first-hand experience of mental health problems. A range of support, including emotional and physical, is available for those who need it.

Within the college, there are no exams or tests – all courses are fun and interactive and people can contribute as much or as little as they feel comfortable. The Recovery College is open the same as most schools and colleges and is therefore open school term-times only.

Why would someone choose the service?

  • Each learner is treated equally
  • People will not be segregated by age, diagnosis, ability etc
  • People will not be asked about their diagnosis, history or medication
  • The Recovery College promotes a focus on the future and people’s hopes and aspirations
  • All courses are developed and delivered by people who have used or continue to use mental health services
  • The college is designed by the people who use it, feedback is essential in all of the future developments
  • Volunteers help to  support the running of the college
  • Courses take a range of elements into account including starting when people can use their bus passes, limiting to groups to a maximum of eight people and not being in hospital surroundings

Staff you may meet