Lincolnshire Recovery College courses

Carers' Creative Forum

The College forums are informal sessions where ideas on a topic can be freely exchanged. This Carers’ Creative Forum is for family members, supporters, and carers 16+.

It gives us a chance to make and do something together. We aim to relearn the importance of creativity for our own wellbeing, as well as those we care for. We discuss ways the College might best support you and share opportunities.

A workshop for carers – Surviving the summer holidays

This workshop explores advice and tools to help support carers to maintain their wellbeing whilst balancing the demands of the caring. It provides an opportunity to share ideas to maintain and promote our own wellbeing at this time.

In this friendly interactive workshop, we focus on topics that carers would find most useful. These will include:

• Wellbeing
• Sleep
• Planning & Routines
• Self-compassion
• Understanding our limits

During the workshop, carers will have the opportunity to consider developing their own individual self-care plans. They can dentify the strategies and techniques that would help them the most.

Who is a Carer? workshop #RaisingCarerAwareness

Would you like to know more about the support available and what legislation and services can help carers?

Have you ever wondered who is a carer, and what being a carer feels like? Maybe you wonder if you’re a carer?

The College presents its latest course all about carers and the caring role.

Learn about:

• The different roles that carers can have
• What it looks and feels like to be a carer
• The legislation that supports unpaid carers
• The local and national support that is offered to carers
• Working while having a caring responsibility

During the workshop, there will be lots of opportunities to engage with fellow students.

You can ask questions and delve into the topic of being an unpaid carer.

The session is co-facilitated with an Expert by Experience who can share their lived experiences of being an unpaid carer. 

Exploring the benefits of paid or unpaid work

Are you feeling stuck on benefits? Wanting to do more with your life?

This single session course is jointly developed with the Individual Placement and Support Team. It will explore the benefits of doing paid or unpaid work and reveal some of the support available.

We’ll follow a person’s journey through their mental health challenges and their subsequent recovery. We’ll show how step-by-step they achieved their goal and restored a sense of purpose and meaning by getting back into work. We’ll also discuss some of the challenges they faced and the support they accessed.

Overcoming barriers to employment

Ready to get back to work, but unsure where to start?

This 1 session course jointly developed with the Individual Placement and Support Team will explore some of the challenges people may face when getting back to work and examine the wide range of help and support that is available.

Making successful job applications

Ready to apply for jobs, but unsure what to say about yourself?

This 1 session course, jointly developed with the Individual Placement and Support Team, will explore how we can present ourselves in the best way so that we increase the likelihood of being successful in our job applications.

We’ll look at what information about ourselves we choose to share and how we can present it in the best light. We’ll also offer some top tips to create an effective CV.

Preparing for a job interview

Anxious about job interviews?

This 1 session course, jointly developed with the Individual Placement and Support Team, will explore how we can prepare and perform well at a job interview so that we create a good impression and increase our chances of being successful. We’ll also consider if we’ve been unsuccessful how we can learn from the experience so that we can do better the next time.

Creative connections

This course is a platform to explore how being creative helps our wellbeing.

Creative activities are fun and can help promote our mental health and wellbeing. Yet, how much time do we spend doing them?

This is a fun and interactive, exploratory session. You will have the opportunity to share what creative things you’ve been up to recently or simply to be re-inspired by others!

Drama for wellbeing workshop

Our Friday morning creative workshops at the Link Up, St Marks Lincoln are all about building our confidence and learning community.

Sessions begin with an informal ‘tea, chat and share’ half-hour open to all students before the main creative/expressive activities. These will vary through the year, partly in response to student demand.

Practical confidence building! Take a break from the everyday, share imagination and express yourself.
 
This workshop features simple activities and scenes we can do together.
 
We’ll use our bodies in gesture, act out feelings we don’t have, and pretend to be other people.
 
Sounds scary? Or fun? Probably both.
We create a safe space to try out new things and then reflect on the fresh sense of confidence and ease that may result.
 
Come to the session, support others and enjoy yourself!

Journaling for wellbeing

In this session, we explore how journaling can help us to become more aware of our thoughts, feelings and behaviours. We look at how we can use this information to support our wellbeing.

Together we discover a wealth of practical ways in which putting pen to paper can enrich our lives. For example, appreciating positive aspects of our lives, identifying helpful behaviour, or challenging unhelpful thoughts.

We’ll learn that there’s no one way to journal. We’ll even provide you with our College structured journal sheets to help get you started!

Poetry and mental health workshop

"We are all made of stories. We need stories to make sense of ourselves and the world around us."
 
In this workshop, we explore how we can use poetry and creative writing to reflect and consider new ways of expressing ourselves. The workshop creates an interesting and fun space in which we can share and learn from each other. 

The workshops include a series of exercises. You will gain a number of techniques which you can use. 
 
No previous creative writing or poetry experience is required.

This course has been designed and created together with Mark Pearson. Mark is the Assistant Professor in Mental Health at the University of Nottingham.

Why tell recovery stories?

Thinking about telling your story?

Sharing with a new person or group?

Just want to listen better?  

In this session we will talk about how telling our story can impact individual wellbeing, build hope and relationships and challenge people or institutions.

We will look at contrasting ‘recovery’ with ‘illness’ stories and think about how this fits with the core values of the Recovery College.

As a group we will be able to explore both positive and negative experiences of telling our story in personal or professional contexts, and discuss how it feels to hear the stories of others.

Later in the term we are running a series of six workshops designed to support you to explore how to tell your story.

See ‘Telling our recovery stories’ for more details.

Telling our recovery stories (6 sessions)

This is a six session course.

These workshops explore the benefits, challenges and creative possibilities of telling personal stories of recovery.

During the workshops, students will be supported and encouraged to:

• consider which aspects of their experiences they would like to share  
• how best to shape their stories
• what media to use
• how to receive and give feedback

Each workshop will begin and end with the group, with plenty of time in the middle for individual or pair work, 1-1 tutorial or simply taking a long reflective break.

Sessions are hosted by Alex (Peer Trainer) and John (Drama Worker). Guest facilitators bring experiences of different themes each week.

We hope that participants can attend all or most of the workshops. This is important as it will help to create a safe space for students to share their recovery stories.

Let's talk about autism

All of us process huge amounts of information. We collect this through our senses to navigate our way through the world around us. For some of us, how we deal with that information presents both particular challenges and opportunities. This introduction to ASD will explore the experience of living with the condition, and suggest ways to support people to live well on the spectrum.

Let’s talk about it - Antidepressants

This course is developed and delivered with people who have lived experience of depression and antidepressants. This is in partnership with pharmacists from LPFT.

Have you been prescribed antidepressants? Are you considering them? Would you like to learn more?

During this course, as a group we will discuss and explore:

• What depression is
• When antidepressants may be prescribed
• How antidepressants work
• What to expect when taking them, including side effects
• Other helpful ways to manage depression

We are unable to offer individual advice concerning medication. We would encourage you to discuss this with your prescriber.

Let's talk about it - Anxiety

Do you often feel uneasy or tense?  Do you find yourself avoiding certain situations because of this?

We can all have feelings of anxiety when we need to do something challenging. For example, taking a driving test or going for a job interview.  However, some of us feel anxious most days, sometimes even when there’s no obvious reason.

Understanding what anxiety is and recognising the signs is the first step to learning to manage it better.  This course will help us to manage our anxiety better by:

• defining what anxiety is.
• identifying the physical signs and the worrying thoughts in our minds.
• understanding the different types of anxiety.
• exploring the unhelpful ways we respond to our symptoms such as avoidance.
• sharing helpful tips and techniques to cope better in the here and now.

Let's talk about it - Bipolar Disorder

Have you been diagnosed with Bipolar?  Or maybe you have a friend or relative who is living with Bipolar and you would like to learn more?

This course explores the core features of Bipolar Disorder and the experience of living with the condition. 

We’ll outline helpful ways we can respond to someone who has the condition. We will suggest a range of strategies and techniques to enable someone to live well with Bipolar. 

One of our experts by experience will share their insights and reflections.

Let's talk about it - Carers compassion fatigue

A course for carers.                               

Do you care for or support someone who experiences challenges with their health and wellbeing?

Do you feel stressed or overwhelmed at times?

This course explores compassion fatigue for those of us who care for others.

During the course, we will:

• Identify what compassion fatigue is and learn to recognise early warning signs.
• Explore how compassion fatigue may affect how we feel and think.
• Discuss helpful things someone experiencing compassion fatigue can do.
• Consider how we can reduce the likelihood and impact of compassion fatigue.

The course has been created and developed by people with their own lived experience of being in a caring role. 

Let's talk about it - Depression

Have you been feeling down?  Maybe you have lost enjoyment in hobbies and interests?  Do you feel like you are running on empty?

We can all experience dips in our mood and feel like we have we lost some of our sparkle.

However, sometimes periods of low mood become more frequent or severe and our daily life can become a struggle. We may spend more time alone and do less of the things we enjoy. 

This course will encourage us to consider more helpful ways of responding to low mood by:

• exploring the differences between low mood and depression.
• discussing the causes of low mood and depression.
• considering the treatment options available for depression.
• identifying helpful ways to manage our mood better.

Let's talk about it - Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (EUPD)

You may have been diagnosed with Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (EUPD) or Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), or are supporting someone who has.

Would you like to learn about and understand more about EUPD?

This course will explore the core features of EUPD and dispel some of the myths and misconceptions.

We’ll also examine how EUPD may affect someone’s experience of daily life and explain some helpful interventions. An expert by experience will share their insights and reflections.

Let's talk about it - Mental health

This is an introductory session to mental health.

It is quiz-based fun and interactive session. We aim to dispel some of the myths and misconceptions surrounding mental health.

The session encourages us to explore ways we can protect our own mental wellbeing and be more open about our mental health.

Let's talk about it - Stress

Feeling stressed out?  Feeling close to the breaking point?

All of us experience stress on occasions.  However for some, it can become overwhelming and even a habit. 

This session provides an overview of stress.

We will be considering:

• what stress is
• where it comes from
• how it may affect us

During the session we’ll explore the importance of recognising the signs of excessive stress. We will suggest helpful ways to respond and learn to manage the pressures of life.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI). What does it mean and how does it affect us? This course gives us an opportunity to better understand EDI. We can be curious about our own beliefs and reflect on where our thoughts about others come from.

This session provides the opportunity to open our minds, to listen and discuss ways we can better understand others. 

Join us for this introductory session. We will explore and respectfully discuss themes around Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.

Understanding LGBTQ+

Would you like to have a little more understanding about LGBTQ+ identities and communities? Ever wondered what all the acronyms stand for?

Do you wish you just had a little more understanding, but fear asking or saying the wrong thing? Join us for the second course in our series of EDI sessions.

Understanding LGBTQ+ will look at history and identities. We will discuss current issues impacting LGBTQ+ communities.

Cancer - How are you feeling?

Learning to look after your emotional health and wellbeing during and after your cancer diagnosis is vital.

Would you like the opportunity to explore the range of emotions that you may experience? You have the chance to learn from others who have had similar experiences.

Regardless of where you are in your cancer experience, this course can help you to:

• Be aware of your emotions and find ways to help yourself.
• Explore and discover tools and techniques to look after your feelings.
• Be an active participant in your cancer experience by learning to ask questions with confidence.
• Understand where you can access the help that is available.

This is an opportunity to learn in a small group, explore your emotional wellbeing and find helpful ways to respond to our feelings.

We offer support should you need it and resources will be available.

This course has been designed and created together with people who have experienced cancer. They are part of the Lincolnshire Macmillan Cancer Co-production Group. Healthcare professionals from the Lincolnshire Macmillan Information Support Service have also helped.

Bouncing back - Growing our resilience

Why do some people seem to handle the challenges and adversities of life better than others?

This single-session course explores the core features of resilience.

It proposes that all of us can become more resilient. We can do this by developing our flexibility and learning helpful ways of responding to events.

We will:

• Recognise the importance of building our connections with others.
• Be open to new challenges.
• Work towards goals based on what’s important to us.

Building routine

Do you find that you have too little time to do the things that you love, and are feeling tired? 

Or maybe you feel like you have too much time and are feeling bored?

Many of us have also had the normal rhythms of our lives disrupted by the pandemic. Many are seeking to build or rebuild a balanced and healthy routine.

This session explores the importance of a healthy and balanced pattern of activities in our lives. We suggest practical tips to re-build a routine that are sustainable and linked to what matters to us. This helps to promote our mental health and wellbeing.

Making the most of each day - Planning for our wellbeing (2 sessions)

This is a two-part course. Please check the timetable to make sure that you can attend both.

Being and staying well is not just about whether we experience symptoms of illness.

Our wellbeing includes how we feel about ourselves and our lives. This includes whether we have a sense of purpose and can do the things we need and want to do.

This course explores what ‘being well’ means to us personally. We will create action plans for our wellbeing and learn to make helpful choices. This is  particularly important when we face challenges.

Attendees will create their own personal plans on how to stay well during the sessions.

Book at least a week in advance to ensure you receive your plan paperwork in the post.

Wellbeing workshop

Wellbeing is linked to feelings of happiness and satisfaction with our lives. Wellbeing could be described as how you feel about yourself and your life.

During this interactive workshop, we will share strategies, information, and tips. These will support you to be well, learn, and share ways to support your own happiness and satisfaction with life. 

Using a mixture of fun, uplifting and creative activities and group discussions, this workshop aims to empower students to discover ways to support their own wellbeing. 
 

In this workshop you will: 

• Learn about your “Stress Bucket” and how to manage and grow your resilience.
• Discover and identify how we collectively and individually cope with and manage stress in our daily lives.
• Find out how we can develop and grow our own resilience to stress and pressure.
• Consider how routines affect our daily lives and how we can make small changes to help them work for us.
• Release stress and tension through mindfulness and interactive group activities.

Join with us as we learn and grow together, sharing our lived experiences of wellbeing.

Dreaming of a better sleep

We all know how we feel after a bad night’s sleep.

Sleep is so important in maintaining our wellbeing. However, many of us may be experiencing disturbed sleep on a regular basis.

This session explores what we can do to create a helpful space and routine to sleep. We will look at how we can best respond to worrying thoughts.

Food 'n' mood

This course will explore how healthy eating can promote our mental wellbeing.

Did you know that food can affect your mood as well as your physical health?

Knowing what foods we should and shouldn’t be eating can be really confusing. 

In this session, we’ll look at how changing our diet may help us to:

• improve our mood
• give us more energy
• be more focused, have better concentration, and think more clearly

Growing our self-esteem

This session will explore why valuing ourselves is important to our wellbeing. We’ll explore why and how low self-esteem may develop.

Together as a group, we will explore how to recognise signs of low self-esteem and offer suggestions.

Understanding and challenging loneliness (2 session course)

This is a two session course.

We live in a world that is ever-more connected by technology. More and more of us are experiencing a sense of loneliness.

This course focuses on a subject that is both important yet seldom discussed.

We’ll explore the nature of loneliness. For example, what it is, how we may experience it, and how it can affect our lives.

We’ll investigate the apparent increase in loneliness. You can learn about the steps we can take to tackle and challenge our feelings of loneliness.

Living well with perfectionism (3 session course)

This is a 3 session course.

Do you put excessive pressure on yourself to perform to an extremely high standard?

Do you expect the same from others?

Understanding why we have the need for things to be 'perfect' can be the first step to learning to manage perfectionism better. 

This course helps us to recognise if we are a perfectionist. We will then consider ways that can help us to learn to live well with perfectionism by:

• Recognising what perfectionism is
• Exploring how perfectionism can affect us
• Discovering ways we can learn to live well with perfectionism

*A workbook will be emailed to you so that you can refer to this. 

Overcoming unhelpful thoughts and worries

This course will focus on ways that we can overcome our worries and unhelpful thoughts.

We’ll learn to recognise when our thinking is becoming unhelpful. We can:

• challenge and re-frame our thoughts so that they are more balanced and realistic.

Or

• ‘unhook’ from our thoughts and learn to ‘sit with’ them. They will have less impact on us and allow us to focus on doing what matters.

5 ways to wellbeing

This session introduces the 5 Ways to Wellbeing. This is a helpful framework we can use to help structure our lives and promote our wellbeing.

We’ll explore the five core themes of:

• connecting with others
• taking notice
• being active
• giving
• learning

We will consider how we can put them into practice in our daily lives. We’ll include some top tips and share some of our own experiences.

Growing our self-compassion

This session looks at ways we can become kinder to ourselves and manage our internal critic. This described the negative voice that we can all have inside our mind at times. We should treat ourselves as we would a close friend.

We’ll explore the importance of self-nourishing activities and look at ways we can increase these activities.

Thriving in winter - Winter worries and looking after our mental health

Does your mood dip in the winter months? Do you become lethargic and find you are running on empty? You’re not alone! 

Seasonal Affective Disorder affects many of us this way. The prospect of a long, dark, winter can feel like a long struggle and the winter months can be a challenging time.
 
This course explores how seasonal changes affect our mental wellbeing. We look at helpful ways we can manage ‘winter blues’- because life doesn’t have to be as bleak as the weather.
 
With additional worries around the cost of living, it is important that we can look after our mental health.
 
During the session we will also have time to identify what our current worries and concerns are. We will consider how this may impact our mental health, recognise ways to keep ourselves well and discuss how and when to seek support if needed.

Wake Up! Open up! Step up! (4 sessions)

Learning to live a richer and more meaningful life.

Are you perfectly happy with your life?

Are you doing the things that are really important to you?

Or do you sometimes struggle, feeling stressed or overwhelmed?

This 4-session course introduces Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT). This is a different approach to handling the stresses and challenges of life.

We’ll explore the basic principles of ACT and offer practical exercises and guidance.

‘Wake up!’ is about learning to become more aware of the present moment, rather than worrying about the future or dwelling on the past. It will explore how we can use mindfulness skills. Mindfulness helps us to observe our thoughts and emotions without becoming entangled.

‘Open up!’ is about getting unstuck from difficult thoughts or unpleasant emotions. We can help you to learn to accept them so that they come and go. It’s not about feeling better, but rather to get better at feeling.

‘Step up!’ is about recognising what’s really important in our lives and actively working towards our goals.

These three elements enable us to live a richer and more meaningful life.

Please note:

1. This course is not a substitute for individual psychological therapy.
2. Students need to commit to attending all 4 sessions.
3. Students are encouraged to complete additional learning activities between sessions.

Living more in the moment

This session will explore the ancient practice of mindfulness and how it can be used to help and support mental health and wellbeing.

We’ll suggest how we can live more ‘in the moment’ by switching off our ‘autopilot’ and being more present as we engage in our daily lives.