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 Autumn term 2026

Our Autumn term will run from Monday 28 September to Friday 11 December 2026.

We’re delighted to be introducing 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 term timetable from the Files section at the bottom of this page.

Open day event and enrolments for Autumn term 2026

Our Open Day gives you the opportunity to talk to trainers and students about the College as well as register your interest in courses and workshops.

Open day schedule:
Date: Wednesday, 9 September
Time: 11am – 3pm
Location: The Brighthelm Centre, North Rd, BN1 1YD

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.

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

Enrolment

You will be able to enrol on to the courses of your choice from 9 September onwards. We will be updating this page with a link to an online form. If you are coming to our Open day, you will have the opportunity to enrol on the day itself. Our staff will be there to assist you in case you need any support.

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 would like some extra support. Our trained Buddies can help you attend and take part in face-to-face courses and workshops. We also have limited capacity to support with online courses. Buddy support can help you to build confidence and overcome barriers.

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

If you are a student applying for a course or workshop at 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 Coordinator. Her contact details can be found at the top of this page.

The feedback from those who have utilised this service have found it to be a game changer for them.

       You may wonder how a volunteer Buddy can assist you, here are a few ideas:

• Meeting you inside the classroom and remaining with you during the course or workshop.
• Where possible assist with achieving course learning outcomes.
• After your initial chat with the Buddy, they will work with you to get the most from your experience with Recovery College.
• Being available during breaktimes should you like time to have a chat.
• Sometimes your Buddy will also be a Classroom Buddy which means they will work with other students as well as you.
• Sometimes a student wants the buddy to be there “just in case “and others may for example ask for help with writing, no two students are the same.

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.