The Psychosocial Clubhouse
The psychosocial clubhouse is a consumer-driven rehabilitation model with a strong vocational focus which harnesses the benefits of client empowerment to increase members’ skills and work preparedness and assists members in obtaining employment. At Fountain House, in New York City, members (people with mental illness) and staff work together to manage the daily clubhouse operations, put out the newsletter, prepare meals, staff the reception desk or serve in the thrift shop. From simple beginnings, the program achieved an international reputation, receiving hundreds of visitors a year. The founders developed a national training and expansion program and established the International Center for Clubhouse Development in 1994. By 2009 there were 330 certified clubhouses in 27 countries around the world. Central components of the model are democratic decision-making and governance and the “work-ordered day” – a structured eight-hour day in which members and staff work side-by-side on clubhouse work. There are no member-only or staff-only meetings and no psychiatric treatment on premises. The clubhouse is a space owned by the members, not the treatment system.Empowerment, treating the person with mental illness with respect, absence of coercion (membership must be voluntary), and the importance of work are central principles.
The emphasis on work is evident in the employment programs generated by psychosocial clubhouses. Initially, these work programs took the form of transitional employment programs in which temporary (three- to nine-month) part-time job placements were found for members in local businesses. Job coaches learned how to do the job, trained the member, and provided long-term support to him or her in the position. More recently, these placements have taken the form of continuous supported employment, in which the job placement is permanent. The approach has grown into a successful model with broader reach than the clubhouse.
The psychosocial clubhouse… harnesses the benefits of client empowerment… and assists members in obtaining employment.
