FAQs

Who can attend recovery college?

What is recovery?

How much do Recovery College courses cost?

Can I do more than one course?

How do I enrol?

Do I have to enrol?

What if I need to cancel my enrolment?

Are groups allowed to enrol?

Enrolment in and accessing online workshops

COVID-Safety at venues

 

Who can attend recovery college?

Recovery College is open to people living in the Western Sydney Local Health District (LHD) area who:

  • have lived experience of mental health conditions
  • are carers, family and friends of someone with mental health conditions
  • are mental health workers or workers in the community services sector
  • volunteer in the community services section

Our courses are provided to people over the age of 18 years.

 

What is Recovery?

Personal recovery is an individual journey which is different for everyone.

Recovery is about hope, understanding and learning how to use personal strengths and coping strategies to live well.

Recovery focused programs are designed to assist individuals, families and carers with an  understanding of recovery and offer practical information to assist in managing mental health conditions, developing skills for everyday life and providing pathways to further education such as vocational training.

Recovery College is a safe and friendly place to learn more about mental health conditions.

 

How much do Recovery College courses cost?

There is no charge to attend Recovery College courses and programs.

 

Can I do more than one course?

Yes. Recovery College offers a range of courses covering different topics. You can attend one course that interests you or you can attend a series of courses that will increase your understanding of mental health and provide you with practical life skills.

 

How do I enrol?

  • If you are a current or previous student there is no need to complete another enrolment form. Simply call or email us to indicate the workshop(s) you wish to attend.
  • Online: Locate the workshop you wish to apply for via Programs & Courses and complete the enrolment form on that page (preferred).
  • Email: Scan and email the hard copy enrolment form or include your details in an email to wsydrecoverycollege@onedoor.org.au.
  • Phone: Call us to provide your enrolment details over the phone.
  • Mail: Post a hard copy enrolment form indicating the workshop(s) you wish to attend, to:
    Western Sydney Recovery College
    c/ One Door Mental Health
    PO Box 2258
    NORTH PARRAMATTA  NSW  1750
    (please note this is the least preferred enrolment option)

 

Do I have to enrol?

It is preferred that you do enrol, simply so we know how many people will be attending for organisation purposes. If you cannot enrol in advance for any reason, we may be able to take your enrolment in person on the day for the shorter courses. Do phone us in advance where possible to notify us of your attendance.

Please note you must enrol in advance for the some full day courses and Recognised programs.

 

What if I need to cancel my enrolment?

Please let us know in advance wherever possible if you can no longer attend a workshop. You can contact us by phone, email or text message.

Sometimes there is a minimum number of students required to run a workshop, and sometimes a workshop may be full and have a waiting list. By letting us know that you need to cancel your enrolment, we can ensure that workshops are not postponed or cancelled at the last minute, and that other students have an opportunity to join in. We can also ensure that educators know who to expect, that we are not over-ordering catering or providing too many supplies for a workshop.

 

Are groups allowed to enrol?

It is best groups do not attend our courses as it can impact the cohesive and collaborative nature of our courses.

If you wish to bring a support person, you both need to enrol in the workshop as students.

If you wish to encourage a number of clients, staff, colleagues or friends and family to enrol, it is best for each of you to enrol separately. In the case of online workshops, ideally you should attend on your own device to ensure we can easily see and hear you.

If you have more than 3 staff who you would like to enrol in a single workshop, we would encourage that you get in contact with us to check whether numbers will allow for a number of staff to attend. In some cases, we must restrict the number from a single organisation in order to keep the workshop accessible to others.

Can WSRC bring a workshop to my group?

We encourage service providers, hospitals, community groups, etc. to contact us if you are interested in either attending one of our courses or you would like us to deliver a course for you. We offer our courses both online and face-to-face in addition to our current term guide, collaborating regularly with service providers, community services, hospitals, community groups, etc. Generally a workshop is delivered for a group as a once-off taster to introduce staff or community members to the Recovery College and what we offer. (Note there may be restrictions on the workshops that can be delivered to a group, the number of attendees and other aspects of the delivery.)

Online (Zoom) attendance as a group

We can deliver courses for your group via zoom and hope to discuss this with you so we can share our offerings.

Face-to-face

Contact us now, and we can discuss this. We offer delivery to service providers, community groups etc. If for a period we are not providing face-to-face workshops due to COVID-19, we can work together to deliver a course for you in the future.

 

Enrolment in and accessing online workshops

How to enrol and access online workshops:

  • Complete the workshop enrolment form, email or phone to enrol.
  • You will receive an acknowledgement of your enrolment being received on screen and via email. (Please note this is not a confirmation of your workshop.)
  • A confirmation email for the workshop will be sent no later than 1 week prior to the workshop. This will include the workshop dates, times and instructions for accessing the Zoom meeting. Email and/or SMS reminders will be sent prior to the workshop where possible. Please do not share the confirmation email, Zoom link or meeting ID. This is to ensure the privacy of all educators and students attending the workshop.
  • If you have indicated that you would like an orientation to Zoom meetings, a Recovery College staff member will be in touch with you. You can also access ‘how to’ information on using Zoom here: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us
  • At the scheduled time of the workshop, use the Zoom meeting link provided on the confirmation email/SMS to access the workshop. At first, you will be admitted into a ‘waiting room’; your screen should read ‘Please wait, the meeting host will let you in soon’. Please be patient as it may take some time to admit you, depending on whether educators admit students one by one or as a group, and how many students are in the group.
  • If your connection drops out, if you are using the Zoom client, it should automatically attempt to reconnect you. If this does not happen, you can use the same link you used to access the meeting initially to reconnect.
  • A post-workshop email will be sent to you to check in and provide a link to the workshop evaluation form.
  • If at any time you find you can no longer attend, please let us know by phone, email or reply to our SMS confirmation/reminder. This will ensure we know who will be in attendance and so we can let anyone on a wait list know a place is available.

Your workshop space…

  • Attend the meeting preferably using a computer with a camera and microphone, your smartphone or tablet, making sure these are placed on a stable surface with the camera positioned straight on to your face. We ideally want to be able to see you and hear you so that you can contribute to the session.
  • Make sure you are comfortable, seated in a chair at a table or desk where you can do some writing.
  • Make sure your space is free from distractions, such as in a separate room from other members of your household, and a safe space to participate in the workshop. Use earphones or a headset (if you have such things) if it helps to keep the workshop private. Please do not invite other members of your household to join the session unless they too have enrolled and received the confirmation email.

A few things to note about online workshops:

  • Workshop numbers will be limited. This will ensure educators and staff can manage any issues experienced and so that all students will have an opportunity to contribute during the short workshop.
  • If there are any required printed materials for the workshop, WSRC will arrange to send them to you in advance where possible. Please be aware that Australia Post is experiencing some delays to service at this time so we may not be able to guarantee you receive these prior to the first workshop session.
  • For popular workshops, additional workshop times may be added to the schedule where possible.
  • Technology issues may happen, so we ask students to remain patient.
  • If something comes up for you during the meeting and you feel distressed and need a moment, please communicate to the educators via private chat or a thumbs up that you are OK before leaving the room or switching off your video/audio. If you are not OK, please let the educators know and one of them may reach out to you by phone. Remember, we are not a crisis service, so if you need immediate assistance please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 or visit our Where to Get Help page for more options.

 

COVID-Safety at venues for face-to-face workshops

WSRC is a registered COVID-Safe business. The venues that WSRC are using are COVID-Safe venues. We ask that all students who attend workshops in person follow COVID-Safe procedures as advised by WSRC, the venue and any COVID-Safe Marshall at the time of the workshop. We ask that all students follow any relevant directives given by NSW Health at the time of the workshop.

Please do not attend the workshop if you develop cold or flu-like symptoms, if you have been in contact with a known COVID-19 case and have been advised to isolate or if you have attended any of the current venues listed by NSW Health and need to be tested. If you have symptoms or have been identified as a close contact of a COVID-19 case, please get tested.

Depending on the restrictions and guidelines at the time of the workshop and the venue being used, we may:

  • Contact you the day before the workshop to run through a COVID questionnaire to confirm you are well, have not been overseas or in contact with a known COVID case
  • Request that you bring your own coffee cup, water bottle and face mask/s to the workshop
  • We will provide:
    • Hand sanitiser
    • Disinfectant wipes
    • Disposable face masks
    • Disposable gloves
    • Separately packed lunches and morning tea packs

If you have any questions or concerns about COVID-Safety at any of the workshops and venues, please contact us for further information. You can find the latest COVID-Safety update from WSRC here.