The Family Recovery College offers a free informal 12-week course, Understanding Substance Use and Holding on to Hope, for anyone living in Scotland who is concerned about someone else’s alcohol or drug use. We will support you to build knowledge, skills, and confidence to support yourself and your loved one.
Our Autumn 2023/ Winter 2024 course, beginning Tuesday 24th October, is now full. If you had hoped to join this course, please do fill out our expression of interest form. We will contact you to acknowledge receipt, ensure you have access to the support you need now, and to discuss a place on the Spring 2024 course.
Our Spring 2024 course is now open for expressions of interest. The Spring 2024 course will take place online every Tuesday between 7pm and 9pm, starting on Tuesday 12th March 2024 and finishing on Tuesday 28th May 2024. You can fill out an expression of interest form here.
You can also contact either Debra Nelson: 07379830357/debra@sfad.org.uk or Tich Watson: 07775252380/richard@sfad.org.uk for more information.
Eligibility:
Anyone who is affected by another person’s drug or alcohol use is warmly welcomed – that includes biological and non-biological families, BAME families, LGBT+ people and families, families with or without children, friends, partners, siblings, young people, older people, foster carers, kinship carers, neighbours, work colleagues, etc.
If you are a professional working in this field and interested in this course please contact Susie McClue susie@sfad.org.uk as we are developing a parallel opportunity for you.
This course will be delivered online using Zoom so that as many people can join us regardless of location. We will do our best to ensure everyone can get online whatever their circumstance may be.
We hope to make the Family Recovery College accessible to all. Please do not hesitate to contact us if there is anything additional we can do to make you feel welcomed and included.
What is the Family Recovery College?
The Family Recovery College offers a free informal 12-week course, Understanding Substance Use and Holding on to Hope, for anyone living in Scotland who is concerned about someone else’s alcohol or drug use. We will support you to build knowledge, skills, and confidence to support yourself and your loved one.
The course will take place online every Tuesday between 7pm and 9pm, starting on the 24th October and finishing on Tuesday 30th Jan 2024. The course will take a short break from Tuesday 19th December 2023 until Tuesday 2nd Jan 2024, resuming on Tuesday 9th Jan 2023.
- Increase their positive connection with others
- Develop communication strategies to improve relationships
- Improve self-care and emotional wellbeing
- Improve understanding of substance use through new knowledge and skills
- Feel empowered to influence change in their lives and the lives of their loved one
We developed this course in Spring 2019 with a group of family members who have their own lived experience of supporting a loved one with problematic drug/alcohol use. These course advisors worked with us to design, deliver and evaluate the project to ensure that it was helpful and relevant to participants’ needs. The course ran for the first time in the Summer of 2019 and has been adapted to respond to the evaluations we have received from participants after each course.
Eligibility:
This course will be delivered online using Zoom so that as many people can join us regardless of location. We will do our best to ensure everyone can get online whatever their circumstance may be. We hope to make the Family Recovery College accessible to all. Please do not hesitate to contact us if there is anything additional we can do to make you feel welcome and included.
Why the Family Recovery College is important:
Families and concerned significant others often take on the primary role of caring for or supporting their loved one. Due to the secrecy, shame and stigma of supporting a loved one with problematic drug and alcohol use often there is little acknowledgement or support for those doing the supporting. Many people find themselves experiencing long-term mental health and physical health conditions, often related to the challenges and stress of their caring role. We hope that the Family Recovery College will enable students to feel empowered to support both themselves and their loved one.
Please note: If you have any concerns or difficulties completing this form please phone us to complete an expression of interest over the phone – Debra 07379830357 or Tich 07775252380.
The programme is certificated by Scottish Families as the Scottish Government’s Nationally Commissioned Organisation (NCO) for families affected by alcohol or drug use.