"South West London & St George's Mental Health NHS Trust"

I attended the Recovery College's "Living beyond depression and low mood" course in summer term 2019 at Surbiton.

The course consisted of 6 x 3 hour weekly sessions. It dealt with themes like low mood, activity, negative thought processes (and overcoming them), action planning and resilience. The course had a very logical progression with each week building on the last. The homework was relevant and achievable.

The fact that the course was co-facilitated by a mental health professional and a peer trainer who had been a service user made it much more personal and easier to identify with than a basic theoretical framework. I appreciated the trainers' honesty and openness.

I particularly benefited from the ethos of taking small steps towards my goals. It gave be the confidence to apply for a college course in counselling as a first step towards a longer term goal of a career change to improve my quality of life