Values
Clubhouse is built on the belief that every member has the potential to recover from the effects of the crises they have been through and can live a fulfilling personal life and be part of wider society. The members of Clubhouses community are dedicated to the success of each other, no matter how long it takes or how difficult it is!
The everyday work
The everyday work is organized in a way that constantly reminds members that they belong. This isn’t difficult, because the work of Clubhouse really is dependent on the participation of all of its members. The Clubhouse is designed to involve its members in every aspect of its activity, and at all times there is more work to be done than can be managed by the staff it employs.
The skills, talents, creative ideas and effort of every single member – all these are needed and are encouraged every day. Each member is invited at any time to take part in all the Clubhouse work: administrative, reception desk, catering, dealing with suppliers, arranging travel, keeping in contact with members, maintenance, research and statistics, building and advancing plans for employment and education, financial duties, budgeting and more. Membership of Clubhouse gives an individual the chance to be part of the success of the community. At the same time they get the help and support they need to achieve personal success and fulfilment.
Empirical model
The Clubhouse is built and organized to support people who have been through a mental health crisis. During their integration in Clubhouse, members are given access to opportunities to rejoin the world of friendships, family, occupation and education, and the support services that they need as individuals to continue their recovery. Clubhouse provides a supportive environment for people whose lives have been seriously disturbed by a mental health crisis, and need the support of others who are recovering and/or who believe that it is possible to get better.
The Clubhouse Model is international, and recognized in the United States as an “Evidence-Based Practice“ or EBP (which is recognized by SAMHSA). The parent organization of all the Clubhouse International organizations is accompanied by training and research, and ensures compliance with uniform standards which guarantee the upholding of values and fidelity to the model. This way every Clubhouse around the world, and in Israel, is a powerful and effective tool for recovery and reintegration into the community.
The Clubhouse Model
Membership
The Clubhouse is an organization built as a community, and the people who come and take part in it are members of the organization. Clubhouse membership is open to anyone who has a history of serious mental illness. The idea of membership is a significant and fundamental part of the Clubhouse perspective: to be part of an organization means that a person shares the cost and also the responsibility for the organization’s success!
Being a member of an organization means belonging, taking part, and fitting into a specific place, a place where you are always welcomed and greeted warmly. For a person suffering from mental illness, these simple things can’t be taken for granted. In fact, their reality is the feeling of living in a constant state of exclusion, not fitting in, loneliness and rejection.
“Mentally ill”, “patient”, “client”, “disabled”, “consumer”
and others are all terms used by society in the context of people living with the consequences of mental illness. These people are often distinguished by these labels and defined by them as being “needy” and a burden on society. At Clubhouse a person with mental illness is seen as a valued participant, a colleague, and someone who has something to give to the community. Every individual is an important part of the community, involved in meaningful work. At Clubhouse every member is wanted, and needed, and the involvement of each member is an important contribution to the community.
Organizing the day around meaningful and necessary work
Work is one of the basic ways of defining our identity in our culture today. It provides a strong base for growth and important personal achievements. We operate on the basis of the belief that normative opportunities in the workplace and society are an important part of a person’s recovery.
At Clubhouse, vital work is done to promote the development of the community and the individuals in it voluntarily. The work is chosen by the community based on its own need to develop and gives its members a quality of life and a chance to fulfill themselves. The members and the staff are constantly busy prioritizing, organizing and achieving goals that are important to make Clubhouse a success. Clubhouse enables its members to go to work in the free market, at minimum wage or higher, by offering a large range of positions and jobs. There are three free market employment programs that allow every member, at every stage of recovery, to earn a living with support according to their needs. You can read more on the employment opportunities below.
Relationships – the core component
The Clubhouse environment and buildings were developed to be full of opportunity for human interaction. Members also need the staff and other members to complete the work, but more importantly, the relationships that are created and evolve in doing the work together – are the key component at the Clubhouse. Relationships between members and staff develop naturally as they work shoulder to shoulder carrying out the everyday Clubhouse duties. The work is done collaboratively on every level, from building a budget, hiring personnel, creating an organizational strategy through to cleaning the facilities or writing attendance reports.
Staff
The staff is an integral part of the community and interacts with the members as work colleagues, and also to encourage the involvement of those who are still struggling to believe in themselves. The number of employees is kept low on purpose, to ensure that the members are always needed to get the work done. Every staff member has a general job at Clubhouse, and is involved in all the activities there, including the daily tasks, evening program, employment program, outreach, supported education and areas connected to community support outside of Clubhouse. Members and staff share the responsibility for the successful running of Clubhouse. While they work closely together on a daily basis, the members and staff learn each other’s strengths, abilities and skills. They also develop real and natural friendships. Because the Clubhouse is designed similarly to a regular place of work or business, relationships develop in a similar way. The staff’s job at Clubhouse: to be colleagues, workers, talent spotters and cheerleaders.
Opportunities
As part of their recovery, because members of the community often don’t know what it is they like doing and what they are good at, the Clubhouse model revives their strengths and passions in life by providing a wide range of opportunities. These are opportunities to do necessary and meaningful work within a relationship structure based on equality. Every new member that joins the community brings with then new energies and widens the activity of the community. For example a new member or employee with an interest in design is likely to improve the look of the building, someone with good organizational skills will make the community run more efficiently, an ear for language can help educate other members of the community, and so on. The wide range allows everyone to find their place in the community and be of value to it, to choose to be part of the project and experience the feeling of being able to do something well.