When You Participate With
When you participate in REFOCUS you will have access to a Planning Facilitator and Peer Support Worker in addition to all the current supports you receive. Your Planning Facilitator will be your main contact.
The Planning Facilitator role is to support you in developing your team of supporters who will enable you to take control of planning and designing your recovery journey. If you wish you can also include other people in your team of supporters such as family or friends this is entirely up to you, it’s your journey.
You will also have the support and understanding of a Peer Support Worker. A Peer Support Worker is someone has had a lived experience of a mental health issue themselves, and who has experienced a personal journey of recovery.
Peer Support
Peer Support Workers (PSW) have a special understanding of what it is like to experience mental health issues.
You will have the opportunity to talk and discuss with your peer support worker their experience of mental health recovery.
Each PSW is trained in mental health awareness and hold a nationally recognised qualification. All conversations dicussed between you is confidential.
They too are happy to share their own journey of recovery with you and talk to you about what personally helped them.
In addition to Refocus you will continue to receive all the existing supports from staff such as the community mental health team and recovery training centres.
What REFOCUS participants said about Peer support working:
” The live experience of the PSW is very valuable.”
“Working with other people with lived experience has made a huge difference”
“Getting better with awkward situations in the community”
“I feel more comfortable talking with someone who has been through it. Inspiring -she has been getting on with her life”
“It takes me out of myself- I’m a loner”
“Feels totally different to other supports they have a different understanding”
“Situations in life occur & you have to address them in the community. I have confidence to do it now”
“Humour and communication with the PSW helps to relax “
Refocus is here to support you on your recovery journey.
By participating in REFOCUS you will have the opportunity to become more involved in your community and to take up social and recreational activities that you are interested in. These Lifestyle changes may include becoming more independent, seeking employment and educational opportunities to becoming a volunteer.
As you progress with your recovery journey there will be opportunities to consider whether or not you still require the support of REFOCUS and where you are in fulfilling your ambitions. Together with your Planning Facilitator and Peer Support Worker you will agree when you want to end your participation in REFOCUS. Whilst participating in REFOCUS it is expected that you will carry out the plans and activities that you identified at your planning meeting. At all times you will have support from your team
VISION
“The Purpose of the Mayo Recovery College is to create a culture of recovery, to improve quality of life and promote social inclusion by empowering people with mental health challenges, their families, friends and the community through co-produced education and learning together”.
MISSION
To awaken HOPE as the foundation for ongoing recovery and create and foster the belief that people can recover from mental health difficulties.
To enable Control through useful information, development of confidence to negotiate and make choices and taking increased personal responsibility through effective self-care and self management.
To de-mystify and share the realities of mental health problems and therefore create OPPORTUNITIES and links into the community – so that people with mental health difficulties can take their rightful place as equal citizens.
MAYO RECOVERY COLLEGE aims to expand the mental Health Services towards the building of a greater quality of life for services users by;
- Committing to give equal attention to personal or lived experience of people with mental health difficulties , their families/friends and professional expertise.
- Empowering the community to accommodate human distress and ensure full citizenship for all service users.
Personal Recovery builds on the core principles of HOPE, CONTROL and OPPORTUNITY.
“A person with a mental illness can recover even though the illness is not “cured”.
Recovery is a way of living a satisfying, hopeful, and contributing life even with the limitation caused by illness.
Recovery involves the of new meaning and purpose in one’s life as one grows beyond the catastrophic effects of mental illness” (Anthony)
Mayo recovery college uses collaborative eduction based on college principles as a key tool to influence and empower personal recovery. Originating in the United States this concept has been embraced in the United Kingdom where there are now seven Recovery college. The Mayo Recovery college is the first in Ireland.
The key aim of the MRC is to offer accessible recovery focused education, building capacity to deal with mental health challenges and to support personal talents, abilities and self-determination.
All courses, Seminars and events provided at the college are co-designed and co-delivered by adults with personal experience of mental health difficulties(often called lived experience) and professionals.
The courses are open to ALL –people with mental health challenges, families/friends, professionals and the community. The college is committed to equal citizenship and embraces diversity and difference.
The educational approach of the MRC aims to be the catalyst for transformation, driving recovery-focused organisational, attitudinal and cultural change.
Co-design and co-delivery for the courses and activities are absolute requirements for the operation of recovery colleges.
This crucial approach enshrines the valuable principle of collaboration and partnership.
The college gives equal weight and significance to the worth and value of professional expertise and lived experience.
The college curriculum is agreed by a working group including people with lived experience of mental health difficulties, professional and family members and draws on expertise of other interested parties from the voluntary and statutory sector.
Fundamentally the college reflects the needs of the community and is located at the heart of the Mayo HSE Mental Health Services.
The MRC explores different dimensions of what ’distress’ is and what ‘recovery ’can mean.
THE EDUCTIONAL APPROACH AND WHAT THE COLLEGE DOES
Simply, the college provides courses, workshops, seminars and group work on topics and themes that deal with RECOVERY!!
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