Recovery is unique to each person. It can overcome obstacles, build resilience and embrace all of the possibilities in life without being burdened by the labels and stigma associated with mental health diagnosis. You can learn more on our recovery page.

The Academy for Porfessional Excellence also discusses how recovery language is about creating an environment that allows all of us to be fully recognised as people. It is language that puts the human and the person before the diagnosis. You can find out more about the power of recovery language by watching their recovery language video.

We encourage people to enrol themselves, however we do appreciate that trying something new can be stressful, and some people may need a little support and encouragement.

If you support someone who you feel would benefit from educational courses that promote recovery and self-manage, with their consent, you can make an expression of interest on their behalf.  Please contact us with the potential student’s information and we will get in touch with them directly to discuss the college and possible learning experiences. 

Sometimes it can be helpful to share our college timetable with a person you support.

You can link to our pages from your own websites, and you can share our articles and newsletters from our what can help section. You can also visit our press page and contact us for latest news and press to share in your own publications and websites.

You can download the latest timetable and brochure below, or you can request physical copies of our brochures, timetables, prescriptiopn pads and posters.

Does your role involve helping people with their mental health and wellbeing?

If you work at a GP surgery or within HPFT, you can join our free information exchange sessions and discover how we can help you in your role.

Contact Louisa Whorrod for more information about the sessions and next available dates.

Long-term unemployment or losing a job can evoke difficult emotions, such as feeling useless or unwanted; which could lead to poor mental health. Conversely, having a job or taking up meaningful activities gives a person a purpose, aids creativity and critical thinking, promotes independence and allows them to develop social contacts, not to mention providing an income; all of which can contribute to improved mental health and wellbeing.

However, poor mental health, inability to cope with pressure or stress and lack of self-esteem can reduce someone’s motivation to apply for or retain work or voluntary opportunities.

If you are supporting someone to enter into employment, some of the courses below may help.

• Employment and self-management
• Employment: the pros and cons to telling your employer about your health challenges
• Self-acceptance, self-compassion and self-care courses
• Daring to dream
• Learning for wellbeing
• Building opportunities
• Understanding stress, anxiety and depression
• Mindfulness, art and creative writing courses
• Understanding and overcoming stigma
• Building healthy relationships

For those students who are ready to further their development, we offer our student development programme, which aims to foster optimism, create meaningful goals, develops personal resilience and gain new skills, experience and knowledge to support their aspirations in life.

Materials

PNG: Social media image
PDF:Enhance your employability poster

If you support someone with specific goals and aspirations, our courses may help their success. Mental health and wellbeing can affect a person’s motivation and concentration, as well as energy levels and physical ability to succeed. Our courses and workshops can help people with their mental health recovery, and gives people the practical skills to manage stress, anxiety and depression, improve their self-esteem and increase their motivation to seek opportunities to reach their goals; whatever they may be! 

Please read more below about how you can support people with their goals. The presentation below has general information about our the college and our courses, which you can download and tailor to your your own needs.

With higher fees, the pressure to succeed, increased competition for jobs and peer pressure around campus, students are under more stress than ever before. According to website ‘save the student’, reports show that one in four students experience mental health challenges whilst at university. In addition, many report that the biggest concern for students is body image and eating well.

However, there is support available. Our courses are available for anyone living in Hertfordshire aged 18+ and help people with their confidence, self-esteem, employability, stress, anxiety and depression. We are also developing a course to help people develop a healthy body image. 

Below are a number of materials you can download to support students to attend the college. You can also direct them to our dedicated page about mental health for students. 

Request materialsVisit page

Materials:

PNG: Employability social media post
PDF Employability poster
PDF: Enhance your university experience poster

Physical wellbeing contributes to how people feel emotionally and it’s important that people look after their physical health to aid mental health.

However, maintaining good mental health is a big part of some people’s journey to a healthier body. For some, low self-esteem, low confidence, busy lifestyle and guilt become a barrier to success. For others, poor sleep and / or poor self-care routines can affect energy levels and make it harder for someone to stay motivated to become physically healthier.

Our courses and workshops  can help people with their mental health recovery; and give them time to reflect and the practical skills to build upon their strengths and reach their goals.

Courses which help people build their self-esteem and motivation could aid the success of fitness programmes, weight-control and positive body imaage. Courses which may be suitable include:

• Self-compassion for everyday living,
• Practicing self-care
• Acceptance and recovery
• Five ways to wellbeing
• Having a positive body image (new course released soon)
• Living with a long-term physical health need

and more

Materials

If you’re supporting someone who is looking to make changes to their lifestyle, please feel free to distribute our brochures, timetables or content below:

Developing a positive body image
PNG: Positive body image course social media (to come)
PDF: Positive body image course poster (to come)

Small steps for being active
PNG: What being active really means social media (to come)
PDF: What being active really means poster (to come)
BLOG: What being active really means link (to come)

Weight control
PNG: Enhance your weight loss journey social media image
PNG: WatfordFC MAN-ON Social Media Post
PDF: Enhance your weight-loss journey poster
BLOG: Uplifiting myself thinner - how I intend to lose weight by addressing my mental healthPDF: Positivee body image course poster (to come)
 

Parenting and supporting others with health challenges can be a big role in people’s lives. For some, it can be a full time job and their extra responsibilities can make it harder for them to take care of themselves. Extra stress, worry and anxiety may also affect a person’s wellbeing and energy levels, and they may experience feelings of guilt and loss of identity.

On the other end of the scale, some people support others in a professional capacity, such as those who work in health and social care roles.

Our curriculum teaches people self-management strategies and courses that touch upon how to care for themselves whilst still supporting others. Topics of interest to those supporting others may include

• Building healthy relationships and setting boundaries
• Self-care routines and sleep hygiene, acceptance and recovery and self-compassion
• Caring for others
• Living with a long-term physical health need
• Understanding stress, anxiety and depression

Materials

If you support carers, parents and / or children and siblings who are supporting  people with physical or mental health challenges, our courses may benefit them. You can download our brochure, timetable and supporting leaflet below.  

PNG: How we support parents social media (to come)
PDF: How we support parents poster (to come)
PNG: Caring for someone with long-term physical health need social media (to come)
PDF: Caring for someone with long-term physical health need poster (to come)
 

Societal expectations and traditional gender roles are affecting how men respond to poor mental wellbeing.

There are expectations about how they should behave and notions around what it is to be “masculine”. Although the stigma is changing, on the whole, many men feel unable to speak openly about their emotions, as they feel society teaches them that opening up about mental health is a sign of weakness. Furthermore, pressure and poor mental health has increased, exasperated by COVID-19, and men now face job losses, money worries, stress, anxiety and depression, as well as poorer physical heath and exhaustion. These complex factors combined have led to a year on year increase in deaths by suicide, of which 75% were among men.

However, we argue that there is hope! Talking is not a sign of weakness - it takes courage! And we are seeking support to spread the message that men do not need to stay ‘strong and silent'; and that it is OK seek support! To spread the message that men are not alone. There are a number of support services available, and campaigns like the men’s health week.

What can also help is if people take control of their mental health right now, by learning recovery techniques and equip themselves with the skills to look after their wellbeing; which our courses, like the five ways to wellbeing and men’s health can do.

Moreover, a big help is a change in mind-set. We offer some reflective questions for those who find it tricky to ask for support, and encourage men to see how other men are talking about their wellbeing challenges, such as by reading Geoff’s story, listening to Roderick’s testimonial or watching this video of men talking about mental health on national news.

Our men's health campaign page under our what can help section has more infromation There are a number of resources and other men's health groups supporting people with their mental health; such as Herts Viewpoint, Hertfordshire Mind, Stevenage FC and WatfordFC. 
There are 

More information to come

More information to come