20.03.2026
sustainability cooperation international

Recovery Colleges Enable People to Strengthen Their Well-being Through Learning and Personal Recovery

Taastumiskolledži ellukutsujad Rapla kutluurikeskuses
Taastumiskolledži ellukutsujad: Dagmar Narusson (TÜ taastumiskolledži projektijuht), Liina Lanno (Hoolekandeteenused AS juhatuse liige), Simone Epro (Hoolekandeteenused AS teenuste arendusspetsialist)
Author: Aare Hindremäe

In spring 2026, a recovery college course was launched under the leadership of the University of Tartu and Hoolekandeteenused AS. The curriculum is grounded in research conducted in 2025 by Dagmar Narusson, Head of the Community Research Group at the University of Tartu, and builds on long-term collaboration with the international RECOLLECT research network.

The first study day of the recovery course took place on 17 February 2026, featuring contributions from specialists at the Pärnu Central Library who represented a community-based perspective. The main theme of the day focused on language and language learning in the context of recovery. During the second study day, held on 17 March, participants presented on the significance of music in recovery processes. The experiential and affective dimensions of music were introduced by Sten-Olle Moldau, a member of a musicians’ community, who offered a short live performance. In the first semester (spring 2026), the course brings together learners in recovery from six cities in Western Estonia. In the autumn semester, the recovery college courses will expand to other regions across Estonia.

The aim of recovery colleges is to support personal recovery among people experiencing mental health challenges, drawing on principles of co-production and adult learning. In contrast to traditional psychological education, adult training programmes, or clinical mental health services, recovery colleges focus on equipping participants with knowledge and skills to enhance their own well-being, strengthen agency, and make sense of their recovery journeys within a broader social context.

The recovery college model is distinctive in that courses are consistently co-delivered by three groups: people with lived experience of mental health challenges, mental health professionals, and community representatives. The newly established recovery college is currently targeted at clients of Hoolekandeteenused AS, that is, individuals in recovery from mental health difficulties.

Recovery courses support learners’ awareness of personal recovery, the possibilities for rebuilding their lives, the learning of life skills, and opportunities for active involvement in contributing to recovery college activities.

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Dagmar Narusson
Head of the Community Research Group, University of Tartu

Dagmar Narusson represents Estonia in the international RECOLLECT project, which focuses on research into recovery colleges. She has collaborated with the Institute of Mental Health at the University of Nottingham and the Nottingham Recovery College. Her publications on the impact of cultural differences on the functioning of recovery colleges have appeared in the international peer-reviewed journals:

General Psychiatry

npj Mental Health Research

OSF

Additional information:
Dagmar Narusson
Head of the Community Research Group, University of Tartu