The colleges, which tend to be based at hospitals or community locations, offer educational courses and workshops focused on mental health and recovery that are co-designed and delivered by people with lived experience – peer support workers – alongside mental health professionals. Overcoming the stigma and discrimination associated with mental health difficulties is central to their programmes. Donaghey says that being involved in co-production “at every level” from design to implementation sets recovery colleges apart. Ball is now peer support lead at the Central and North West London NHS foundation trust (CNWL), with responsibility for overseeing its peer support programme. That peer support working “can help reduce stigma” is encouraging, and the emphasis on recovery within services, as the foundation of peer support work, is central, she says.

Source: The Guardian May 14, 2019 07:52 UTC