FAQ's

Please email us at elft.thrc@nhs.net 

We understand that things can get in the way of your plans.

If you can no longer attend a course that you are enrolled on, please let us know by emailing elft.thrc@nhs.net  or calling 020 7426 2332 

Many of our courses have a waiting list so we can often offer your place to someone else. You are welcome to re-enrol in the course you have missed the following term if you are still interested in attending.

• Having expert knowledge of the topic is most important, regardless of whether you are an Expert by Profession or Experience.
• Each co-producer has equally valued input into the decision-making process, the course content and the production of the final session plan.  
• Co-production means that all comments and opinions made by the Expert by Experience and the Expert by Profession are fully explored and respected. Differences of opinion are discussed and time is allowed for compromises to be negotiated.
• The final session plan reflects all the contributions made by each tutor during the co-production process.
• Co-delivery means that each course is delivered by a trained tutor who is an Expert by Experience and a trained tutor who is an Expert by Profession. This means that one person is not supporting or secondary to the other and there is equality of roles.
• Co-learning means that students who have experienced mental health difficulties learn with students who have not so that students can learn from one another’s experiences.

All of our courses are taught through co-production.

Co-production is where tutors who are Experts by Profession work together with our peer tutors who are Experts by Experience to create and deliver a course at the Tower Hamlets Recovery College. 

For example, our course on Dealing with Depression and Anxiety, is taught by a Clinical Psychologist (Expert by Profession) and a peer tutor with personal experience of Depression and Anxiety (Expert by Experience). 

All of our tutors have completed tutor training either through their professional training or on the four-day Train the Trainer course at the Recovery College. Some of our tutors have lived experience of mental health either as a service user or carer. They are peer tutors and Experts by Experience.

 Tutors who are Experts by Profession come from a wide range of professional backgrounds including health (occupational therapists, psychiatrists, general practitioners, pharmacists, psychologists, nurses, HR) social care (social workers, housing workers, benefits advisers) and the voluntary sector (health trainers, counsellors, advocates).

All our tutors receive regular supervision. Peer tutors receive personal and group supervision and support to develop their teaching skills, achieve additional training qualifications and support their own recovery.

We hold our courses in a variety of community and health related venues in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets so that we can provide access to all, encourage broad community engagement and decrease negative attitudes and prejudice about mental health. 

We also deliver courses at our main office site at 86 Old Montague Street, E1 5NN.

Please note we DO NOT deliver courses online. 

• We provide transport information about each venue in our prospectus so that you know how to get there by bus, tube or train 
• We repeat our most popular courses and rotate them to different venues across the borough so that people can choose to attend a venue that is local to them

An Individual Learning Plan helps a student to identify their specific learning goals for the term and reflect on their progress. Goals can include ambitions that a student has for their personal learning and recovery journey. 

The Individual Learning Plan (ILP) does not have to be detailed. It provides an opportunity discuss learning needs, decide which courses to enrol on and the kind of support that could be offered by our tutors. To receive an ILP please call us on 0207 426 2332 or email elft.thrc@nhs.net

• You can register as a student at Tower Hamlets Recovery College if:

• You are aged 18 and over   
• You are a Tower Hamlets resident who has experienced mental health problems & may also have long term physical health problems
• You are a carer, family member, friend or loved one of a person resident in Tower Hamlets who has experienced mental health problems 
• You are a Tower Hamlets resident with an interest in learning more about recovery, wellbeing and mental health 
• You are employed in Tower Hamlets and want to learn more about recovery, wellbeing and mental health
• You are studying in Tower Hamlets and want to learn more about recovery, wellbeing and mental health

• We are a self-referral service. There are two ways to join:
• Students can register with the college by filling in a registration form. You can download this here, complete and send it to us via email (elft.thrc@nhs.net) or post (please see above). If you prefer you can drop into the Recovery College during office hours, to fill in a form in person. You only need to fill this in once.
• You can also directly apply to attend a course with us. On our website you will be able to browse our selection of courses and workshops. You can apply to attend a course of your interest. Upon attending a course at the Tower Hamlets Recovery College, you will be able to complete the enrolment process in person.

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The Recovery College is open for three 8-10 week terms a year (Autumn, Spring and Summer) and we deliver at least 20 courses per term.

All our educational workshops and courses are co-designed and co-delivered by trained tutors who have lived experience of mental health challenges and trained tutors who work in mental health and wellbeing services. We call this co-production. 

Courses cover a range of areas that might support recovery; including tools and approaches to gain a deeper understanding of yourself, your experiences and the experience of others, education about mental and physical health, helpful tips on practical life skills, how to get more involved in educational and vocational opportunities, how to be a more recovery orientated practitioner and how to support other people’s recovery journeys. 

Everybody learns from one another because courses are co-received by students who have experienced mental health difficulties and students who have not. This co-learning adds to the richness of the educational experience.

Courses provide people with a chance to learn more about mental health recovery and wellbeing so that they can lead more independent and hopeful lives, or better support other people to do so. Attending courses may also contribute to your personal learning and development or your CPD (Continuous Professional Development) and revalidation portfolio.