All our courses and activities are designed to contribute to your wellbeing and recovery. We hope you find something of interest and we look forward to seeing you.
How to book
Please contact us. Places are offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
New to ARCH Recovery College?
As a new student, you’ll need to enrol. You can do this face-to-face, over the phone or on Microsoft Teams. To arrange your enrolment, please contact us.
Courses, workshops and outdoor activities for October 2024
Wellbeing skills and tools
Recovery – the new me (6 sessions)
Tuesday 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 October and 5 November
10am to 12.30pm
Course facilitator: Kyle
Co-facilitator: Peter
This is our flagship course which takes a closer look at the CHIME model of recovery:
- connectedness
- hope
- identity
- meaning and empowerment
You will be supported to apply these to your own recovery journeys and share them with your support team as part of your care planning.
Mindfulness for stress (8 sessions)
Wednesday 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 October and 6, 13, 20 November
10am to 12.30noon
Course Facilitator: Janice
Do you ever feel stressed, anxious, overwhelmed or have racing thoughts? Do you struggle with low mood or depression?
It is easy to stop noticing the world around us and to lose touch with the way our bodies are feeling and to end up living ‘in our heads’ – caught up in our thoughts without stopping to notice how those thoughts are driving our emotions and behaviour.
During this mindfulness course you will learn how to gently work with your body, your breath, your thoughts, and your day-to-day experiences which will improve your physical and emotional wellbeing.
This course will give you the tools to learn how to pause, step back, find stillness and regain control.
Physical health and wellbeing outdoors
Walking for wellbeing (weekly)
Thursday 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 October
10.30am to 12noon
Walk leaders and assistants: Alison, Janice, Pete, Barry, Luke, Christine
Walking is brilliant for both your physical and mental health. Spending time in nature has proven benefits for both physical and mental health.
Join our weekly walking group, leaving from outside of St Margaret’s Health Centre at 10.30 am on Thursday morning, for a 90-minute walk around beautiful Durham City and the surrounding countryside. All you need is comfortable, supportive footwear and clothing suitable for the weather (water and sunscreen in warm weather).
Please note, whilst our walks are inclusive and available to all, a basic level of fitness and mobility is needed to be able to tackle some of the steep hills and banks that Durham City is renowned for. If you would like to chat to a Walk Leader about the walks before booking, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Wellbeing skills and tools
Mind, body and spirit (weekly) – new day and time
Friday 4, 18, 25 October
10.30am to 12noon (11 October, see Building Resilience session at Elvet Methodist Church)
Course Facilitator: Janice or Peter
Co-facilitator: Luke
Weekly sessions are practical and informative, covering practices such as Tai-Chi, Breath Work, relaxation techniques, acupressure, and mindfulness. No prior knowledge or experience is required. The practices aim to promote relaxation, whilst nourishing the mind, body and spirit. They can positively affect our emotional and physical wellbeing and increase our energy levels.
Health and wellbeing outdoors
Photography walk (weekly)
Friday 4, 11, 18, 25 October
10.30am to 12noon
Facilitator: Peter
Co-facilitator: Nigel
This is a slow-paced walk based specifically around looking out for photographic opportunities, where we share advice on photographic techniques, how to improve composition skills, and other advice as to what makes a good photo.
In Durham, we have previously visited Wharton Park, the Cathedral, and the Town Hall. We often visit a café afterwards as well!
Health and wellbeing
Promoting a healthy routine (1 session)
Monday 7 October
1.30pm to 4pm
Facilitator: Simon
Co-facilitator: Kyle
This one-off workshop will encourage students to explore ways of improving their routine.
We will look at the cycle of change and habit stacking as well as other ways that a person can improve their routine.
Health and wellbeing outdoors
Gentle paced walking group (weekly – 60 minutes)
Monday 7, 14, 21, 28 October
10.00am to 11.00am
Walk leaders: Christine and Luke
A gentler paced walk, taking place on flat ground and supported by friendly and supportive walk leaders. The walks are at a much slower pace, with the option to rest, if needed. These walks are great for helping to build your confidence and increase activity levels gradually.
Walks will alternate between Chester-le-Street Riverside Park (meeting in the car park) and Durham.
We will confirm the walk venue and meeting arrangements when you contact us to book.
Places must be booked on a weekly basis.
Health and wellbeing
Eat well, feel well (1 session)
Friday 11 October10am to 12.30pm
Course Facilitator: Angela (head of dietetics)
This session will cover the key areas of healthy eating on a budget and the relationship between food and mood.
We will also look at behaviour change techniques to put some of the learning into action.
Wellbeing skills and tools
Building resilience and wellbeing workshop (monthly)
Friday 11 October
10.30am to 12.30pm
Elvet Methodist Church, 8 Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HL (meet at ARCH 9.45 am to walk to venue)
Course facilitators: Janice and Luke
The aim of the free session is to promote wellbeing and relaxation by using mind, body and spirit practices gathered from many cultures, to help people cope with trauma and everyday stress. In the session we will share simple Tai chi, breath work, meditation, self-acupressure, and energy work. When engaging in these practices, many have reported feeling peaceful, more positive, calmer and feeling more alive.
Physical health and wellbeing tools
Walking the seasons (monthly)
Friday 11 October
1.30pm to 3.30pm
Venue: Botanic Gardens, Hollingside Lane, South Road, Durham, DH1 3TN
Facilitators: Peter and Janice
A monthly walking meditation, taking place on the second Friday of every month, lets you observe and experience the changing of the seasons. You’ll be encouraged to use your senses to connect with nature. As seasons change, we’ll suggest what to look out for, so you can experience things in a new and different way.
Wellbeing skills and tools
Exploring stress (2 sessions)
Monday 14 and 21 October
10am to 12:30pm
Course facilitator: Simon
Co-facilitator: Kyle
‘Stress’ means different things to different people, and we don’t all experience stress in the same way. This course will be an opportunity to look at the issue of stress from different perspectives to get a better understanding of our own and others’ experience of stress. It will also give you a chance to look at how you manage stress in your own life.
Wellbeing skills and tools
Positive psychology (3 sessions)
Tuesday 15, 22, 29 October
1.30pm to 4pm
Course facilitator: Kyle
Co-facilitator: Kay
This short course explores a range of practical tools used in positive psychology to enhance subjective wellbeing. We will briefly present the theory and evidence of several practices and students will be supported to try out these techniques for themselves and reflect on them. There will also be an opportunity for the group to share ideas of other wellbeing strategies.
Physical health and wellbeing tools
Introduction to nature and wellbeing (1 session)
Friday 18 October
1.30pm to 4pm
Facilitator: Peter
Co-facilitator: Anna
This workshop explores the powerful relationship between nature and mental wellbeing. Participants will gain insights into how connecting with green and blue spaces can be beneficial to our health. Through discussion and interactive exercises, the workshop highlights practical ways to incorporate nature into daily life, whether through a local park, woodland walking, or even through caring for houseplants.
Key topics include the mental health benefits of nature, how to overcome barriers to nature connection, and the benefits of mindful walking. By the end of the session, participants will understand how to build everyday relationships with nature that promote a sense of calm, balance emotional systems, and foster overall wellbeing.
Wellbeing skills and tools
Keeping safe online (1 session)
Wednesday 23 October
1.30pm to 4pm
Facilitator: Peter
Around nine out of ten UK citizens use the internet on a daily basis, for example, to shop online, use social media to catch up with friends, and to work remotely. While being online brings a number of financial and personal risks, it is possible for all of us to remain safe, well, and keep our personal information private and secure. This course looks at online safety, and discusses internet scams, virus protection, the benefits and pitfalls of social media, and how to tell if a news story is accurate.
Health and wellbeing tools
Cancer and recovery (1 session)
Wednesday 30 October
1.30pm to 4pm
Facilitators: Peter and Ladan
Cancer is a devastating condition that can be highly distressing both to the person diagnosed with it as well as their friends, family, and loved ones. While ‘recovery’ from cancer is normally thought of as the process one undergoes to remove the cancer from their body, for example, through chemotherapy or surgery, this workshop seeks to facilitate discussion around how recovery from a mental health perspective can be fostered, with specific emphasis on the 5 CHIME factors: connectedness, hope, identity, meaning, and empowerment.
Physical health and wellbeing in the community
Join a walking group in County Durham
Did you know that Durham County Council run a programme of free, weekly walks throughout County Durham? The walks are a fantastic opportunity for those wanting to take first steps to being active via Gentle Steps to Walking or Get Ready Walks, or for maintaining a healthy lifestyle (wellbeing walks) in the company of others. For more information and to book onto the walks, visit Move Walking.
Recovery College Online
Recovery College Online provides a range of online educational courses and resources. We offer recovery-based information and resources, covering a wide range of mental health and wellbeing topics, as well as real life experiences and stories, and free online courses on our e-learning site. Anyone can access the website and the online courses, and there is no need for a referral, you simply create a free account to use the courses. The resources are available without creating an account.
How to access courses
Some of our courses are available for guest access which means that anyone can view them. However, most of our courses require you to create a free account with us.
You can create a free online account on our e-learning site, which is easy and quick to do. We’ll then authorise your account and you’ll be able to complete any of the courses that you’d like. You can take the courses in your own time and at your own pace, and if you decide to leave a course before you’ve finished it, when you next log in to your account, you can continue the course where you left off.
Visit Recovery College Online e-learning
