About us
Compass Recovery College is a mental health and wellbeing organisation based in Reading, Berkshire, UK.
We provide free workshops and social groups for anyone in the area aged 18 or over who may be affected directly or indirectly by mental health or wellbeing challenges.
Everyone is welcome and everyone is a participant. So whether you are struggling yourself, or perhaps you are a carer, family member or professional who would like to know more about mental health and wellbeing, we can help.
We start from a place of hope, with the belief that learning about our mental health and wellbeing with the right tools can give us more control for the future. We believe that self-management and making the most of our strengths can help us recover from challenges and become experts in our own wellbeing. With a variety of workshops delivered by staff and peer support volunteers with lived experience of mental health challenges, we hope you’ll find the way we do things refreshingly different.
Our philosophy
A safe space
We provide a supportive and friendly environment, where participants can learn and share experiences and ideas in confidence and comfort in order to develop skills for life.
Supportive
We will do our best to meet the needs of every participant that wishes to develop and take control to manage their life.
Open to all
We welcome anyone aged 18 or over with lived experience of mental illness or life challenges, as well as their friends, family, carers, mental health practitioners and clinicians.
Together
All workshops are developed and delivered by people who can call upon their own lived experience of mental health and life issues, together with clinically trained staff.
This is at the heart of the Recovery College and supports a diverse perspective on living with mental health challenges.
Meet our core team
Management and Admin
Lara Stavrinou
Compass Manager
Lara started in 2020 and is thrilled to have joined the Compass team to help build on its strengths, widen the type of courses offered and reach people who may otherwise struggle to keep well. Lara is keen to reach new communities and co-produce courses which challenge, engage and excite people. Lara has a background in working with charities, commissioning, and the arts. She is passionate about Pilates, mindfulness and yoga in her spare time and also loves to bake with her son.
Mauricha White
Business Support Officer
Mauricha has been part of the Compass Recovery College since it was created in 2015 and has seen it continue to flourish and provide support over the years. With a background in care and public services, Mauricha is responsible for ensuring the smooth running of the college and supporting the wider team. She enjoys drinking tea, Zumba classes and taking long weekend walks with her family, friends and dog, Pip.
Recovery Team
Clare Burgess
Recovery Worker
Clare has recently joined as a part-time Recovery Worker, and is delighted to be part the Compass team. Clare has over 10 years’ experience in therapeutic coaching and helping adults overcome emotional issues. She is passionate about helping people rediscover their inner resources, confidence and resilience.
In her spare time, Clare loves baking, Pilates and walking in the countryside.
Callum Flynn
Recovery Worker
Callum first joined Compass at the beginning of his recovery journey after many years of struggling with his mental health, his bipolar diagnosis and short stay at Prospect Park mental health hospital. Callum attended many workshops with the support of his mum. After attending ‘Understanding Bipolar Disorders’, Callum had what he calls a breakthrough moment in his journey to recovery.
Callum went on his recovery journey and completed his undergraduate degree in psychology with education in 2022. Whilst undertaking his degree, Callum became a volunteer with Compass to help develop a new ‘Understanding Bipolar’ workshop in 2020, bringing both his lived experience and academic knowledge of the condition to the workshop. In 2022 Callum joined the Compass team full-time as a recovery worker.
Callum is a mental health advocate and shares his story of his journey, including his struggles, difficulties and recovery to inspire others.
In his spare time, he enjoys the adventure of life, and often can be found practicing his hobbies such as photography, travel, going to the theatre, and having a laugh.
Claire Jones
Recovery Worker
Having previously worked as a Social Prescriber with Bracknell Forest Council, Claire recently joined the Compass Recovery College team as a Recovery Worker. With a professional background in health and safety—particularly the health and mental health side—Claire brings both practical expertise and personal insight to the role.
Claire’s own lived experience of mental ill health and the stigma surrounding it inspired her to become a Mental Health First Aid Trainer with Mental Health England, helping to break down barriers and open up conversations around mental health.
Outside of work, Claire has always loved exercising, spending quality time with family and friends, and playing with the family dog, Timmy—who never fails to put a smile on her face.
In her spare time, Clare loves baking, Pilates and walking in the countryside.
Mofeyi Adayemi
Recovery Worker
Mofeyi has recently joined the Compass team as a full-time Recovery Worker. Drawing from her experience as a primary care Wellbeing Worker, Mofeyi is passionate about helping people improve their mental health. She studied Psychology of Health and Wellbeing at university, volunteered with the Samaritans, and worked as a Mental Health Support Worker in previous roles. While studying, she served as a Student Mental Health Ambassador within the university, gaining valuable experience in developing mental health workshops and running campaigns.
Having grown up in an environment with little sensitivity to mental health, she believes that mental health, though unseen, has a significant impact. She aims to play a part in helping others access the support they require by guiding them to develop relevant skills, information, and resources, with the hope that they, too, can support those around them.
In her leisure time, Mofeyi enjoys watching movies from different parts of the world, conducting research on various topics, drawing, and spending time with loved ones.
Maria Isaia
Recovery Worker
Maria brings over 20 years of experience in the mental health sector across Oxford and Reading. Throughout her career, she has supported individuals facing a wide range of challenges, including complex physical health conditions, severe mental health difficulties, vulnerable teenage mothers, childhood adversity, addiction, and homelessness.
Driven by a deep passion for helping others, Maria is committed not only to providing support but also to empowering people through education. She believes in equipping individuals with practical tools that enable meaningful, positive change in their lives.
Following a recent late diagnosis of Autism, Maria has embarked on a powerful journey of self-discovery and learning. She actively seeks knowledge to support her own personal development and openly shares these insights to help empower others.
Beyond her professional work, Maria leads a rich and balanced life. She is a qualified chef, a Samaritans volunteer, a Reiki Master, and an enthusiastic practitioner of yoga. She also enjoys running and spending time in nature and at the gym, reflecting her holistic approach to wellbeing.
Hugh Stoddart
Recovery Worker
After many years of supporting others in a voluntary capacity, Hugh was keen to share his lived experience of mental health challenges and recovery in a professional environment. Compass provides the perfect platform to share knowledge, support personal development, build new connections, and engage with participants in co-creating programmes that really make a difference.
When not at work, Hugh can usually be found reading in the garden, out looking for street art, or getting out into the countryside.
Peer Support Team
Alison Flynn
Peer Support Worker
Alison began her journey with Compass by attending workshops with her son to help get a better understanding of how she could help him through his recovery. Alison joined as a volunteer in 2019, quickly becoming a staple part of the Compass team running multiple social groups for our participants. With Alison’s background in childcare and training students in childcare, Alison joined the team as a Peer Support Worker in 2021 to help produce workshops for communities within Reading.
In Alison’s spare time she loves spending time with her five grown-up children, especially on the Cornish beaches. Alison is also a big quiz fan, often attending quizzes with her family and creating quizzes for our social groups.
Victoria Goodlad
Peer Support Worker
Victoria joined the team as a peer support worker in 2024, supporting social groups and Compass workshops.
Prior to Compass, Victoria worked in the charity sector for eleven years, supporting people with mental health difficulties, complex needs, learning difficulties and people experiencing domestic abuse.
Victoria brings her lived experiences of living with mental health and her work experience skills to Compass, to support people alongside their journey of recovery.
In her spare time, Victoria enjoys music, going to live music events, being out in nature, going to the gym, making customised rhinestone art paintings and spending time with friends and family as well as her pet cat.