Services
Gloucestershire Health & Wellbeing College
We provide free and friendly, peer led educational courses and workshops,
to support you to live well with your health conditions.
In this page
Through learning together, our vision is to provide educational self-management courses to help you to build the skills and confidence to take control of your own health and wellbeing. We know how closely linked physical and mental health are and how you can’t have one without the other. Our courses are tailored to consider different aspects of wellbeing.
Creating hope and connections with likeminded people, we offer a unique and friendly service, facilitated by those with lived experience. 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.
At the Gloucestershire Health and Wellbeing College it is all about you. Our courses have been produced by you, for you and we want to support you to become the expert in your own health and self-management of your conditions.
Our courses
We deliver a diverse range of free educational courses; covering many topics around physical health, mental health and wellbeing.
All our courses and workshops are co-produced. This means we invite individuals with lived experience of mental and/or physical health conditions to work alongside our team members and clinical staff to design the course content.
All our courses and workshops are led by our trained Peer Support Workers, who all have lived experience of mental health challenges or/and 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
Secondary mental health services can include Recovery Team, GRiP, Eating Disorders, Young Adults Team, Later Life, Perinatal Mental Health or Assertive Outreach Teams and more.
Mindfulness Workshop for Mental Health and Wellbeing
This is a face-to-face mindfulness course aimed at developing a helpful range of techniques which is designed to support you in your recovery journey.
The course takes an educational, rather than clinical, approach to mindfulness. This helps you to identify what works best for you through group learning and sharing with fellow students, peers and the tutor.
- Tuesday 11 June 2024 1.30-3:30pm, The Friends Meeting House, Greyfriars, Southgate Street, Gloucester. Closing date for applications is Tuesday, 14 May
Bitesize Steps to Recovery
This is an online course which looks at the CHIME recovery model to see how it can support you to live well with a mental health condition.
Each week we will cover a topic of the acronym CHIME, which stands for Connections, Hope, Identity, Meaning, and Empowerment.
This is a five-week course where you can learn skills and strategies to support recovery and to self-manage your condition.
Details of the next dates will follow shortly, in the meantime, to express interest or to find out more, email: ghwc@ghc.nhs.uk
Living with Anxiety, Depression and Psychosis
A face-to-face course aimed at sharing about these conditions, and how they can vary from person to person. Our peer support workers share their own experiences of how they manage these conditions day-to-day. Learn skills and techniques to support your own recovery and manage your condition to the best of your ability. The next available date is:
- Wednesday 19 June for 4 weeks until Wednesday, 10 July, 1.30 – 3.30 at Hesters Way Community Resource Centre, Cheltenham. The closing date for applications is Wednesday, 22 May
Creative Course
An arts and crafts course for all, from beginners to those with more experience. No artistic drawing skills required!
Are you interested in using art as part of your routine? Would you like to learn some new skills in a supportive environment? Come and explore how participating in arts and crafts activities could support your recovery. We will be introducing a new activity each week to give you an opportunity to try a range of mediums and techniques.
- 28 June 2024 for 4 weeks until Friday, 19 July at the Heritage at Gloucester Rugby, Kingsholm Road, Gloucester. Closing date for applications is Friday, 31 May.
Recovery Through Activity
A face-to-face course which explores the value of activity on wellbeing. It looks at the relationship between wellbeing and the activities we need, want and are expected to do in our everyday lives and how mental illness impacts this.
It involves discussion regarding the topic of the week and is designed to be fun and informal; looking at strengths and knowledge as well as areas people might like to work on. The course is facilitated by an occupational therapist and peer support workers who have lived experience.
- 4 June 2024 for 4 weeks until 25 June at The Main Place, Old Station Way, Coleford. The closing date for applications is 7 May
Bespoke courses for Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust Teams
Laurel House and Honeybourne Unit Art Project
Using the concept of the Tree of Life, we use a variety of arts and crafts techniques to create our own trees that represent ourselves and our recovery journey.
We take a strength-based and recovery-focused approach to think about ourselves and our lives as more than our mental health challenges. No art or drawing skills required, just a willingness to be creative.
- 17 May 2024 for 4 weeks until Friday, 7 June (time tbc).Closing date for applications is 19 April
Physical health courses
The following courses are open to adults who are registered with a Gloucestershire GP and 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 many many more
Live Better to Feel Better
This is a friendly and interactive course delivered by people with lived experience of long-term physical health conditions. Learn techniques to help manage your condition such as techniques to help with relaxation, managing pain and fatigue, getting a good night’s sleep, problem solving, managing low mood, communication tips, being active and more. This is a seven-week online course.
- 1 May for 7 weeks until Wednesday, 12 June 1.30-3pm. Closing date for applications is Wednesday, 3 April.
- 4 June for 7 weeks until Tuesday, 16 July. Closing date for applications is Tuesday, 7 May.
Mindfulness Workshop for Physical Health
Our face-to-face mindfulness course develops a helpful range of techniques designed to support you in managing your health. The course takes an educational, rather than clinical, approach to mindfulness. This helps you to identify what works best for you, both through group learning and sharing with other students and the tutor.
- 9 July 2024 1.30-3:30pm, The Friends Meeting House, Greyfriars, Southgate Street, Gloucester. Closing date for applications is Tuesday, 11 June.
Apply for a course
To apply for any of our courses, please complete an enrolment form by clicking the link below.
If you would like support completing the enrolment form, please contact us on 0300 421 4414 or ghwc@ghc.nhs.uk and we are more than happy to organise a time that is convenient to go through this with you over the phone.
Please get in touch if you are unsure if you meet the service and course criteria and wish to clarify if you are eligible to attend a specific course.
Support in attending courses
We understand it may feel daunting to attend a course for the first time. We take a friendly and informal approach to our course delivery and there is always an opportunity to speak with one of the course’s friendly Peer Support Workers or Facilitators before the course starts, where you will be able to ask questions and share any concerns.
We want to ensure you feel as comfortable as can be attending a course, therefore we offer both face-to-face and online courses. If you would like to bring a carer, friend or family member along to support you at the beginning or throughout the course, please let us know and we can ensure we book them onto the course with you, should this be helpful to you.
For online courses please let us know if you would like an opportunity to try out using the technology in advance, this is not a problem and can be organised with a member of our team.
We understand that some people may find it difficult to actively participate on our courses, especially at the start, and that is okay! We are happy for you to contribute in your own time and at your own pace. We always offer support for individual learning needs.
Meet the team
Our friendly Health and Wellbeing College team is made up of Peer Support Workers, staff with clinical or health backgrounds and administration staff.
Our Health and Wellbeing College is also supported by volunteer Experts by Experience; who regularly get involved in service projects, coproduction of our courses and supporting the delivery of courses, whilst using their own lived experience of living with long term health conditions.
Our Peer Support Workers
As a peer led self-management service, we offer unique and friendly courses, facilitated by those with lived experience. 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.
Feedback
“It was a really good experience. It reinforced my strengths, positive life choices and lifestyle, and has enabled me to move forward.”
“Fantastic courses run by very welcoming, knowledgeable and experienced facilitators. They created a supportive, nurturing and safe environment.”
“I have gained new ways in which to deal with my long- term condition and, crucially, the permission to do and be what I need when I need it. I can’t emphasise enough how important that aspect is. It is liberating. Thank you all so very, very much. You imbued a good atmosphere for all participants making it feel safe to share intimately.”
Contact us
E-mail:
Telephone:
Address:
Gloucestershire Health & Wellbeing College, NHS Training Hub, Invista, Ermin Street, Brockworth, Gloucester, GL3 4HP
