... to the effectiveness of the RC learning model and provides insights to refine its theoretical and practical foundations further. Corresponding author Galaad Lefay galaad.lefay@uqtr.ca © 2026 Emerald Publishing Limited 2026 Emerald Publishing Limited Licensed re-use rights only Recovery college...

...Martine Vallarino; Catherine Briand; Marie-Michèle Lord; Anick Sauvageau Purpose Recovery colleges (RC) provide free courses on mental health, well-being and recovery. Training of RC trainers is a crucial aspect of ensuring fidelity to the RC, but to date, there are no documented experiences...

... be difficult to achieve because of deeply rooted policy legacies, including a biomedical approach to care and the stigma associated with mental illness. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how interventions that operate outside the formal mental health system, such as recovery colleges (RCs), may...

...Liza Hopkins; Andrew Foster; Sue Belmore; Shelley Anderson; Di Wiseman Purpose This study aims to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of establishing a recovery college in an Australian acute and community adult mental health service. Very little has been published on efforts to incorporate...

...Toni King; Joanna Dawson; Francess SmilleyAnderson; Richard Taylor Purpose This paper aims to explore why a course with similar content feels different when delivered in a Recovery College as compared to an NHS therapy. Design/methodology/approach It is offered as a case study based...

...Holly Thompson; Laura Simonds; Sylvie Barr; Sara Meddings Purpose Recovery Colleges are an innovative approach which adopt an educational paradigm and use clinician and lived experience to support students with their personal recovery. They demonstrate recovery-orientated practice...

...Christine Lowen; Linda Birt; Juniper West Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand how dementia is represented within current UK Recovery College courses and how people with dementia are involved with such courses. Design/methodology/approach A scoping survey was developed with seven...

...Sara Meddings; Lucy Walsh; Louise Patmore; Katie Louise Emily McKenzie; Sophie Holmes Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore whether one Recovery College reflects its community. Design/methodology/approach Recovery College students’ demographics and protected characteristics were...

...Toni King; Sara Meddings Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a preliminary outline of the international presence, commonality and differences between Recovery Colleges. Design/methodology/approach This study used a short e-mailed survey to create a map of Recovery Colleges...

...Leanne Harper; Mick McKeown Purpose Whilst there is growing evidence to suggest that the recovery college (RC) environment supports students towards their mental health recovery (Meddings et al., 2015b), students’ initial motivations for engagement, alongside factors that may hinder...

...Amorette Mae Perkins; Joseph Henry Ridler; Laura Hammond; Simone Davies; Corinna Hackmann Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of attending a Recovery College (RC) on NHS staff attitudes towards mental health and recovery, clinical and peer interactions, and personal...

...Elizabeth Anne Dunn; Jessica Chow; Sara Meddings; Lissa June Haycock Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore what affects attendance at Recovery College, what students who have missed classes perceive to be the barriers to attendance and suggestions for improvement. Design/methodology...

...Sara Meddings; Jane McGregor; Waldo Roeg; Geoff Shepherd Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review the available evidence regarding the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of Recovery Colleges. To make suggestions for future research. Design/methodology/approach – Selective review...

...Lyn Skipper; Kirsty Page Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust's journey of developing more recovery-focused services from two perspectives: that of the Trust project lead for recovery and that of a Recovery College Student and Peer Support...

...Sara Meddings; Shannon Guglietti; Hazel Lambe; Diana Byrne Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore Recovery College from a student perspective and consider what contributes to making Recovery College effective. Design/methodology/approach – The authors draw on interviews...

...Fabio Alois Zucchelli; Syena Skinner Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an introduction to recovery colleges, followed by an outline of the development and delivery of Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust (CNWL) Recovery College, as well as key lessons learned...