Gloucestershire Health and Wellbeing College (GHWC) delivers educational courses teaching people the skills, techniques and knowledge to make them experts in their own recovery from long-term physical and mental health conditions.
Understanding how closely linked physical and mental health are, Severn and Wye Recovery College and Gloucestershire Self-Management came together to form GHW College.
As a peer-led self-management service, the college offers unique and friendly courses, facilitated by those with lived experience, tailored to consider different aspects of wellbeing. Through learning together, our vision is to provide educational self-management courses to help people build the skills and confidence to take control of their own health and wellbeing.
At Gloucestershire Health and Wellbeing College it is all about you. Our courses are produced by you, for you, and we want to support you to become an expert in your own health and self-management. Creating hope and connections with likeminded people, we offer a unique and friendly service.
Our friendly team comprises Peer Support Workers, colleagues with clinical or health backgrounds and administration staff. Our Health and Wellbeing College is also supported by Experts by Experience – volunteers who regularly get involved in service projects, co-production of our courses and supporting their delivery, while using their own lived experience of living with long-term health conditions.
Our Peer Support Workers understand what it is like to live with a long-term health condition and have their own experiences of self-management and recovery.
Our courses
Our courses and workshops are led by our trained Peer Support Workers; all of whom have lived experience of mental health challenges and/or long-term physical health conditions themselves. They are here to offer support to others experiencing similar situations and we are all constantly learning from each other.
Mental health courses
Our mental health courses are open to adults registered with a Gloucestershire GP, who are living with a mental health condition. They must be currently receiving care from a mental health team within secondary services.
Secondary mental health services include the Recovery Team, GRiP, Eating Disorders Service, Young Adults team, Later Life, Perinatal Mental Health or Assertive Outreach teams and more.
Physical health courses
Our physical health courses are open to adults registered with a Gloucestershire GP who are living with one or more long-term physical health conditions.
Long-term physical health conditions can include fibromyalgia, diabetes, ME, chronic pain, COPD, heart conditions, asthma, chronic fatigue syndrome, arthritis and more.
New programme commences September 2024
Gloucestershire Health and Wellbeing College will be commencing its new programme of courses and workshops in September 2024, starting with its Live Better to Feel Better online course and series of Mindfulness workshops.
Live Better to Feel Better – online course
If you are living with one or more long-term physical health conditions and would like to learn more about self-management, our online courses start on Wednesday 4 September.
Learn a range of self-management tools and techniques and gain the confidence to use them in your day-to-day life. This course is delivered by our peer support workers – all of whom have experience of living with a long-term health condition.
For dates and details see below:
September 2024
- Course starts Wednesday 4 September 2024, 1.30-3pm, every Wednesday for seven weeks
Closing date for applications: 16 August 2024 - Course starts 6 September 2024, 10.30am–12pm – every Friday for seven weeks
Closing date for applications: 16 August 2024
Mindfulness workshops
Also starting in September, GHWC’s series of relaxed and friendly mindfulness workshops.
For dates and details, see below:
Mindfulness workshops for people living with long-term physical health conditions
- Date: Monday 16 September
Time: 10am-2pm
Location: Churchdown Community Centre, Parton Road, Churchdown GL3 2JH - Date: Wednesday 6 November
Time: 1.30pm-3.30pm
Location: The Pavilion, Hatherley Lane, Cheltenham GL51 6PN
Mindfulness workshops for mental health and wellbeing
- Date: Wednesday 9 October
Time: 10.30am-12.30pm
Location: Pullman Place, Great Western Road, Gloucester GL1 3NF
To book your place for any of the above courses/workshops, please visit: https://www.ghc.nhs.uk/self-refer/ghwc-enrol
For further information contact Gloucestershire Health and Wellbeing College at: ghwc@ghc.nhs.uk or call 0300 421 4414.
