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Recovery Groups

Restore host a variety of different recovery groups from ones focusing on crafting and woodwork to horticulture to working in a café and shop. The group provides members with opportunities to learn skills, gain insight into their strengths, and consider positive changes they want to make.

We acknowledge that this can be hard work, so regular time is set aside to reflect on how things are going, both as a team and as individuals. They offer six Recovery Groups across Oxfordshire:

  • Fleet Meadow in Didcot
  • The Orchard in Banbury
  • Littlemore Recovery Group
  • Elder Stubbs Allotments in Oxford
  • The Beehive and Garden Café in East Oxford.
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Short Courses

Oxfordshire Mind offer short courses on a variety of topics. By learning a new skill or developing an interest in something is a good way to help maintain mental wellbeing. Course topics include exploring self-esteem, assertiveness and communication skills, managing strong emotions, 5 ways to wellbeing, managing stress. The course topics vary throughout the year and are currently some courses are being offered online as well as in person.

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Recovery College

The Oxfordshire Recovery College is a place of learning, support, and discovery. Students come to the Recovery College from all walks of life and find in the Recovery College a community of support and shared experiences, from which to draw strength and develop new ideas.

The Recovery College was one of the first OMHP initiatives setup in 2015. The Oxfordshire Recovery College is a place of learning, support, and discovery.

They offer a variety of courses focussing on mental health as well as other topics such as healthy eating, sleep, confidence, and many more. The Recovery College provides  an opportunity for staff, Carers, and service users to come together in an educational environment with no barriers.

Students come to the Recovery College from all walks of life, and find in the College a community of support and shared experiences, from which to draw strength and develop new ideas.

Courses aim to help you to take steps towards recovery, or to support someone you know in their own recovery journey.

The Recover College believes it’s important to combine the most up-to-date knowledge and research with the voice of someone who has lived that story, so all of the courses are designed and delivered by both an Expert by Experience (someone with lived experience) and an Expert by Training (someone with a professional background in that area). They cover a wide range of topics, all relating to recovery, and try to ensure that there are practical tools that you can take away and use in your day-to-day life.

Whilst their office is based in Oxford, they run pop-up courses at a number of locations across Oxfordshire, so do check to see which of their ‘Spoke’ locations are nearest to you.

Whether you’re walking your own recovery journey, are walking alongside someone who is, or would simply like to learn a bit more about mental health and wellbeing, there’s a place for you at the Oxfordshire Recovery College. If you’d like to become a student, please complete an enrolment form on their website, or give them a call if you’d prefer a hard copy.

Benefit Support Service

Benefits for Better Mental Health (BBMH) is a service setup by Oxfordshire Mind to help individuals figure out what benefits they can claim for and how to do this.

They offer benefits health checks to determine what benefits you are entitled to and claiming them; they can support making claims including the necessary letters, forms, journal updates, and phone calls; they can also support with any appeals including representing you and challenging any decisions. Find out how to get further help here.

You can also contact them via the phone: 01865 247788

Or email: info@oxfordshiremind.org.uk

Information Service

Oxfordshire Mind offer an information line as well as an online and physical guide to services within Oxfordshire. When you call the information line, they will ask you a few simple questions including your name, contact number, and a short description of what you are looking for. Someone who will be able to help you further will then give you a call back.

Call the Oxfordshire Mind Information Line on 01865 247788 (open Monday to Thursday, 9:30am to 4:30pm, Friday 9:30am to 4:00pm, closed bank holidays).

You can also use the online or physical Oxfordshire Mind Guide to find different services in the Oxfordshire area. With the ability to filter by location, service type or what you would like help with it is easy to find what you are looking for.  

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Coaching

If you’ve been out of education or work for a long time, or you’ve been through a recent mental health setback but want to re-establish the habits that help you to keep well, then Restore’s Employment Coaching service can help.

Your Employment Coach will help you to consider what you want to do, and work with you to select the best options to do this. Employment Coaches help you to:

  • learn essential skills needed to find/sustain employment
  • engage in training, education or voluntary work, including communication skills, assertiveness, self-management at work,
  • and with CV/covering letter writing and interview skills.

They can help with:

  • job searches using on-site computers
  • help manage expectations and overcome disappointments
  • and support clients to constructively talk to their employer about their mental health where appropriate.
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Wellbeing Hubs

Oxfordshire Mind have Wellbeing Hubs across Oxfordshire and each offer a space to bring people together who have a shared experience with mental health. They offer over 50 free Peer Support groups with each one being different so hopefully there will be one to suit your needs.

They might be based at a specific location, be specifically for young people or centre around an activity (such as art, sports, or cooking). If you think your experience of mental ill-health could help others there is also the opportunity to become a peer support worker.

Employment peer support

The OMHP also offers opportunities to into employment. Oxford Health offers the chance to undertake Peer Supporter training which then would allow an individual to apply for paid peer support roles within one of the teams in Oxford Health.

The Individual Placement and Support Service is unique service for people over 18 who are not in work and are under the care of our adult mental health teams or early intervention service. With employment specialists from Restore making up the team, they help service users reach their employment goals and find a working environment focused on individual preferences.

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