Brighton & Hove Recovery College

About the College

Welcome to the Brighton and Hove Recovery College, offering educational courses as a route to recovery from mental health challenges.

The College is provided in partnership with the Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

All courses are free, and are designed and delivered by people with lived experience of mental health challenges (Peer Trainers), together with clinical staff and other professionals. Whether you are hoping to gain a better understanding of mental health challenges or are looking to develop new skills and abilities, the Recovery College provides a range of workshops and courses that may be of interest to you.

We offer courses focusing on recovery and self-management skills in a range in length from one-day workshops to longer courses running over several weeks, on subjects such as ‘Exploring Relaxation’ and ‘Managing Anxiety’.

Courses and workshops are predominantly held face-to-face, with some delivered online using Microsoft Teams.

Working in partnership

Following a tender by the Brighton and Hove Clinical Commissioning Group, Brighton and Hove Wellbeing Service launched on September 1st 2020. The service brings together a new partnership of Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SPFT), Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust, YMCA DownsLink Group and Southdown.

Southdown is working with the Primary Care Mental Health Practitioner Team (PCMHPT) at SPFT, who assess adults with mild to moderate mental health support needs and agree a treatment/support plan. Part of this plan offers access to Adult Wellbeing Courses which are co-produced and co-delivered by one of Southdown’s existing Brighton and Hove Recovery College Peer Trainers, alongside a Primary Care Mental Health Practitioner.

Annual prospectus and Spring term 2026

Our Spring term will run from Monday 26 January to Thursday 9 April, 2026.

We’re delighted to be introducing several new courses and workshops this year.

Take a look at our interactive 2026 prospectus to explore what’s on offer. Click on the cover image below to view the prospectus. Once open, you can download it by clicking the cloud icon on the right-hand side of the viewing window.

You can also download the prospectus and the term timetable from the Files section at the bottom of this page.

Open day for Spring term 2026

We will be holding our Open Day on Wednesday 7 January 2026. The day gives you the opportunity to talk to trainers and students about the College as well as register your interest in courses and workshops.

There are also Buddies (people with experience of mental health challenges) on hand to provide support as needed.

The event is on a drop-in basis so you can come along at any time that suits.

When: Wednesday 7 January 2026, 11am – 3pm
Where: The Brighthelm Centre, North Road, Brighton BN1 1YD

Note: The Open Day event will be held at The Brighthelm Centre (address above), not on-site at the Recovery College.

Enrolment for Spring term 2026

Enrolment opens on Wednesday 7 January 2026. Please return to this page on the day to access the online enrolment form, as well as a downloadable copy of the offline form.

IMPORTANT: Please do not contact the College to try and enrol any earlier than 7 January. However, feel free to get in contact with us regarding any other questions you may have about the College or Spring term using the contact details at the bottom of this page.

We look forward to welcoming new and returning students.

Explore what being at Recovery College means through the welcome video from the College below:

Am I eligible?

The College is available for people aged 18+ living in Brighton and Hove with mental health support needs. Carers and people working within the mental health sector are also welcome.

The Buddy Service

We offer a Buddy Service for students who require extra support. Our trained Buddies support can support students outside of the Microsoft Teams sessions, enabling them to overcome barriers and improve their confidence and self-esteem. Buddies can arrange to speak with students pre and post online sessions, to:

• Practice how to access the online sessions via Microsoft Teams
• Engage with online activities
• Practice how to engage with fellow students during the online sessions

We do our best to match every student who requests this extra support with a Buddy but it is dependent on demand.

If you are a student applying for the online sessions at the Recovery College and would like to request a Buddy, please complete the relevant section on your enrolment form.

If you would like more information about how the Buddy Service works, please contact Moose Azim, our Volunteer and Involvement Lead. Contact details can be found at the top of this page.

Our Students’ Union and NUS membership

All students of the Recovery College who are taking part in an online workshop are welcome to join the College’s Students’ Union. Through the Union you can share your experiences and ideas on how we can continually develop the College. As our Union is part of the National Union of Students (NUS) you are entitled to an NUS membership card which offers you a wide range of discounts and offers. To find out more or to gain an NUS discount card visit www.nus.org.uk.

Follow Us:

Facebook: @BHRecoveryCollege

If you’re a student of the Recovery College why not also join the College’s online Student Union on Facebook.