"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)
- View a Sample Course Catalog to gain a sense of our typical class offerings
- 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 dfulker@bu.edu.
Fall 2023 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.
In-Person Classes: Choose your TOP 3 CLASSES. These classes will take place at the Center. All Students who wish to participate in in-person programming at the Center must be vaccinated and upload their vaccine card.
Virtual Classes: Choose up to TOP 3 CLASSES. These classes will take place virtually on Zoom.
Drop-In Activities: These activities are offered through either Zoom or in-person at the Center. These activities are opened to all Recovery Education students to attend at any point during the semester. Registration for these activities is not required but is STRONGLY suggested.
Recovery Education Important Dates:
Last Day of Classes: December 15th.Additional Holidays the Center is Closed:
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 dfulker@bu.edu, mail or drop it off at the center at 940 Commonwealth Ave Boston 02215. Any questions? Please contact the Center at (617)353-3549 or email dfulker@bu.edu.
- You will receive a Course Confirmation Letter by e-mail about a week before the trimester starts.
Any questions? Please contact Derek Fulker @ dfulker@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 dfulker@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.