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Investigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on recovery colleges: multi-site qualitative study
- Merly McPhilbin, Katy Stepanian, Caroline Yeo, Daniel Elton, Danielle Dunnett, Helen Jennings, Holly Hunter-Brown, Jason Grant-Rowles, Julie Cooper, Katherine Barrett, Mirza Hamie, Peter Bates, Rebecca McNaughton, Sarah Trickett, Simon Bishop, Simran Takhi, Stella Lawrence, Yasuhiro Kotera, Daniel Hayes, Larry Davidson, Amy Ronaldson, Tesnime Jebara, Cerdic Hall, Lisa Brophy, Jessica Jepps, Sara Meddings, Claire Henderson, Mike Slade, Vanessa Lawrence
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- Journal:
- BJPsych Open / Volume 10 / Issue 3 / May 2024
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 16 May 2024, e113
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- Article
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Background
During the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health problems increased as access to mental health services reduced. Recovery colleges are recovery-focused adult education initiatives delivered by people with professional and lived mental health expertise. Designed to be collaborative and inclusive, they were uniquely positioned to support people experiencing mental health problems during the pandemic. There is limited research exploring the lasting impacts of the pandemic on recovery college operation and delivery to students.
AimsTo ascertain how the COVID-19 pandemic changed recovery college operation in England.
MethodWe coproduced a qualitative interview study of recovery college managers across the UK. Academics and co-researchers with lived mental health experience collaborated on conducting interviews and analysing data, using a collaborative thematic framework analysis.
ResultsThirty-one managers participated. Five themes were identified: complex organisational relationships, changed ways of working, navigating the rapid transition to digital delivery, responding to isolation and changes to accessibility. Two key pandemic-related changes to recovery college operation were highlighted: their use as accessible services that relieve pressure on mental health services through hybrid face-to-face and digital course delivery, and the development of digitally delivered courses for individuals with mental health needs.
ConclusionsThe pandemic either led to or accelerated developments in recovery college operation, leading to a positioning of recovery colleges as a preventative service with wider accessibility to people with mental health problems, people under the care of forensic mental health services and mental healthcare staff. These benefits are strengthened by relationships with partner organisations and autonomy from statutory healthcare infrastructures.
Contributors
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- By Blair C. Armstrong, David A. Balota, Lawrence W. Barsalou, Jos J. A. Van Berkum, Lera Boroditsky, Gregory A. Bryant, Cristina Cacciari, Joana Cholin, Morten H. Christiansen, Stella Christie, Eve V. Clark, Herbert H. Clark, Eliana Colunga, John F. Connolly, Michael J. Cortese, Seana Coulson, George S. Cree, Christopher M. Crew, Gary S. Dell, Kevin Diependaele, Judit Druks, Thomas A. Farmer, Anne Fernald, Kelly Forbes, Carol A. Fowler, Michael Frank, Stephen J. Frost, Dedre Gentner, Raymond W. Gibbs, Monica Gonzalez-Marquez, Arthur C. Graesser, Jonathan Grainger, Zenzi M. Griffin, Mary Hare, Harlan D. Harris, Marc F. Joanisse, Leonard Katz, Albert Kim, Gina R. Kuperberg, Nicole Landi, Birte Loenneker-Rodman, Danielle S. MacNamara, James S. Magnuson, Ken McRae, W. Einar Mencl, Daniel Mirman, Jennifer B. Misyak, Srini Narayanan, Kate Nation, Randy L. Newman, Lee Osterhout, Roberto Padovani, Karalyn Patterson, Kenneth R. Pugh, Terry Regier, Douglas Roland, Jay G. Rueckl, Vasile Rus, Jenny R. Saffran, Sarah D. Sahni, Arthur G. Samuel, Rebecca Sandak, Dominiek Sandra, Sophie Scott, Mark S. Seidenberg, Linda B. Smith, Michael J. Spivey, Meghan Sumner, Daniel Tranel, Gabriella Vigliocco, Nicole L. Wilson, Anna Woollams
- Edited by Michael Spivey, Ken McRae, University of Western Ontario, Marc Joanisse, University of Western Ontario
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- Book:
- The Cambridge Handbook of Psycholinguistics
- Published online:
- 05 November 2012
- Print publication:
- 20 August 2012, pp xi-xiv
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