Mid West ARIES offers a range of courses, information and educational materials on Recovery and Wellbeing in Mental Health in Limerick, Clare and North Tipperary.
Vision
To provide the Mid West Region with an inspirational and inclusive educational programme on recovery and well-being.
Mission
- To provide education and resources created and delivered by service users, family members, carers and mental health professionals.
- To inspire hope, create opportunities and foster the belief that recovery and well-being are possible.
- To promote education as a tool in mental health recovery.
- To make this programme available in Limerick, Clare and North Tipperary.
- To promote a culture of inclusivity, mutual respect and learning among all: service providers, service users, family members, friends, carers and anyone with an interest in mental health and well-being.
Background
Mid West ARIES is a recovery education service developed initially by the Mid West ARI group. In 2014 the Mid West ARI group did research to look at offering courses on recovery in mental health in the region. This research found that people in the Mid West region wanted to see courses available to people who have experienced mental health difficulties, family members, staff and the general public.
Based on the research, Genio a not-for-profit organisation, agreed to fund a Recovery Education Project for one year in the Mid West. Following on from the successful 12 month pilot in 2016 and 2017, funding was acquired through the Service Reform Fund to develop further and facilitate the activities Mid West ARIES's activities.
Since February 2018, ARIES's expansion, development and rollout in the Mid West have continued. Mike O’Neill, who was part of this initial development, is now manager of Mid West ARIES. Margaret Keane is the Education, Training and Development Officer and Cillian Keane is the Peer Education, Training and Development Officer. There are 6 Recovery Education Facilitators currently facilitating the ongoing recovery education modules in the community across the Mid West and the Acute Psychiatric Units in UHL, Limerick and Ennis General Hospital. We also facilitate Recovery Principles and Practice Training to mental health staff across the Mid West to facilitate the discussion about Recovery Principle and how it fits with their practice.
Delivering the existing modules and producing new educational material is a priority of the Mid West ARIES team. All of these courses will be free of charge and open to everyone 18+.
What is Recovery Education?
Recovery education takes a strength and adult education-based approach which offers the choice to engage in learning opportunities. It is underpinned by the values of self-direction, personal experience, ownership, diversity, and hopefulness. (Recovery Education Guidance Document, 2018-2020, Supporting ‘A National Framework for Recovery in Mental Health 2018-2020)
What does Mid West ARIES offer?
Mid West ARIES has a range of courses, information and educational materials on Recovery and Well-being in Mental Health. We are an inclusive adult education service. While some of our workshops may have a therapeutic effect, it’s important to note that we are not a service that provides group therapy. However, we can signpost you to the appropriate support in our learning resource pack emailed to all participants after each online workshop. Our workshops are very conversational and interactive; we ask questions to allow people to reflect, answer and learn from each other.
What makes Mid West ARIES different, and how does it work?
The topics of the courses are created by people with lived experience, family members and staff working within the services. This is called co-production. This means that everyone has a say in what goes into the courses.
The courses are then co-delivered by people with lived experience, family members and staff working within the services. This is different from how other courses are usually created and delivered.
How can you sign up for a course?
You can book any of our online workshops and webinars on our Eventbrite page: https://midwestaries.eventbrite.ie
How else can you get involved?
Mid West ARIES regularly organises co-production sessions to create new workshops and develop our online self-paced courses.
If you are interested in sharing your experience to help create new courses (co-production), it would be great to hear from you. Please contact us on the numbers or emails below.
This means that:
- There’s a place for everyone in Mid West ARIES
- You can enjoy Mid West ARIES as a Student (attending courses), Co-Producer (creating material), or Co-Facilitator (delivering courses)
The Mid West ARIES Team will assist you with any additional information you require.
Please contact Mid West ARIES:
For more up-to-date information, visit our Mid West ARIES Social Media pages below:
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
YouTube Channel
Podcast 'The Wellness Panel'
