To identify how a college of further (tertiary) education might promote the wellbeing of adults with mental health problems.
Study design:
Qualitative study of the college-related experiences of people with mental health problems.
Setting:
A further education college in inner-city London, UK.
Methods:
Fifteen students, all of whom had been diagnosed with mental health problems, were selected from a range of courses, including those attending a special cookery class, those on mainstream courses, and former-students who had studied on one of a number of courses and who might or might not have completed their studies. Data were collected through two individual semi-structured interviews.
Results:
Findings focus on barriers to learning outside and inside college and how these were overcome, as well as participants’ perceived links between learning and their mental health and wellbeing.
Conclusion:
Discussion highlights the necessity of ‘bridging’ between health and education services in order to enable adults with mental health problems to benefit from lifelong learning opportunities in a potentially transformative way.
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