"Recovery means finding meaning and purpose in life that goes beyond a psychiatric diagnosis..." Bill Anthony, Founder
A recovery-oriented practice focuses on:
- a person orientation or a focus on people with talents, strengths, aspirations, and the full-human experience
- partnering and full involvement of individuals with psychiatric conditions in all aspects of our work
- choice and self-determination
- hope or a belief in the inherent possibility of growth
(Farkas, Gagne, Anthony, Chamberlin, 2005).
Over the last 40 years, the Center has helped to shift the paradigm in mental health services to a recovery orientation.
Program Enrollment
All interested individuals must meet the following requirements to be enrolled in the Recovery Education Program:
- Complete a Recovery Center Student Application, including a Medical & Psychiatric Information Form, and email (strongly preferred) or fax it to (617) 353-7700. After we received your application, we will contact you to arrange a brief interview and a tour of our center.
- Be willing to use an educational environment to foster their recovery
- Be willing to consider participation in program evaluation research
Course Information
- Courses are offered on a trimester schedule: January – April (Spring), May – August (Summer), September – December (Fall)
- Trimesters may vary in schedule times and classes available
- For information on the upcoming trimester, or for any additional information or questions, please call 617-353-3549 or email amiras@bu.edu.
Fall 2024 Semester
Our semesters are a combination of in-person and virtual classes, both of which do have a class limit.
We follow Boston University’s requirements for Covid-19 vaccination, students must have completed a Covid-19 initial vaccination series and a Covid-19 booster shot. This applies to both our in-person and virtual classes.
Recovery Education Program’s Fall 2024 Semester IMPORTANT DATES:
- Monday, October 14th – Indigenous Peoples’ Day
- Monday, November 11th – Veterans Day
Course Registration Process
- All students must complete a Course Registration Form each semester.
- Students interested in taking an exercise course must sign a waiver to participate.
- Once the form is completed, please submit by fax at (617) 353-7700, email it to amiras@bu.edu, mail it to the Center, or drop it off at 940 Commonwealth Ave Boston 02215. Any questions? Please contact the Center at (617)353-3549 or email amiras@bu.edu.
- You will receive a Course Confirmation Letter by e-mail about a week before the trimester starts.
Any questions? Please contact Amira Sheikh at amiras@bu.edu.
* Please keep in mind that you must be enrolled in the Recovery Education Program first before you can register for courses. See Program Enrollment for more details.*
Frequently Asked Questions
Interested individuals must be willing to use an educational environment to foster their recovery, must apply to the program, provide documentation of a psychiatric condition, receive physician approval to participate in any of our Physical Fitness Classes, and be willing to consider participation in program evaluation research.
You will need to complete a Student Application Packet which includes a Medical & Psychiatric Information Form, mail the packet to the Recovery Education Program or fax it to (617) 358-7700. After we received your forms, we will contact you before the start of Course Registration to arrange a short interview and tour of the Center. The packet is available on this webpage.
The courses offered at the Center are free to all of our recovery education students.
You must be enrolled in the Recovery Education Program to register for courses. After you’ve enrolled, you will need to complete a course registration form available on the last page of this catalog. This form is also available on this webpage. Please send the course registration form through mail, fax at (617) 358-7700 or email at amiras@bu.edu. We strongly encourage our students, current and new, to come to the Center to register in person, staff members are available to assist you in the process. Everything you’ll need to register for classes will be here.
There is no limit to how many virtual classes or activities you can take this semester.
Due to space limitations, there is no capacity for students to add a course to their schedule once the trimester starts. However, you may drop a course during the first 3 weeks of the trimester.
Students will be required to sign a waiver to participate in physical active classes.