THE first college in the county which will support people with mental health difficulties is set to transform thousands of lives.

Oxfordshire Mental Health Partnership officially launches the Oxfordshire Recovery College on Monday.

It will be the first college offering free courses and workshops run by residents who have battled mental health difficulties. Medical professionals will also be on hand.

The new educational service comes as the number of people suffering from psychiatric problems in the county rises, Gemma Humphrey, head of external relations at Restore, which is part of the Oxfordshire Mental Health Partnership, said: “It’s amazing. People have wanted a recovery centre for a long time.

“It’s great for people to come together and share their experiences and share what they have learnt through them. It’s about taking a more educational approach rather than therapeutic.

“Mental health problems are becoming more common and this movement to encourage people to take more control of their own recovery is growing.”

The Oxfordshire Mental Health Partnership also brings together Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxfordshire Mind, Connection Floating Support, Response and Elmore Community Services.

Adults using mental health services across the county will be able to choose courses and workshops they think may help their recovery.

The college will also be open to carers, as well as mental health professionals, with courses including introduction to the carers’ role, experiencing and understanding mental health challenges and introduction to recovery.

Ms Humphrey said Restore has seen an increase in the number of people referred to the charity to access its recovery and coaching services, with 67 referred each month.

But she said having professionals and residents working alongside each other to run the courses would be “beneficial” to adult learners.

She added: “It’s about making a level playing field. Seeing that the experience that people have through having a mental health problem is as valuable as the professional experience.

“It means people realise that their own experience is valuable and they have learnt a lot. They have developed their own tools and techniques for dealing with mental health problems.”

Ms Humphrey said the new college would also prevent residents with psychiatric problems living in rural areas of the county from being isolated.

She added: “People in rural areas don’t have the services that we have, particularly in the city. They are just as likely to have mental health problems.”

Courses and workshops are set to take place at venues including Didcot Civic Hall, Banbury’s Dupuis Centre and East Oxford’s Elder Stubbs Recovery Centre Hub, which will be the main base for the college.

The launch takes place at Manzil Way’s Restore between 1-4pm and will include speeches and a tree planting.