A Genius Solution: Clubhouse International

"Out of your head and into your hands" is the work motto that the wonderful residential treatment program Gould Farm uses to express the need for mentally ill individuals to be engaged in meaningful work while developing healthy, organic relationships. However, the problem with Gould Farm, like nearly all residential treatment programs, is the enormous cost required in order to be a resident of the program. Most residential treatment programs cost around $20,000 or more on a monthly basis (though Gould Farm is half that rate), which is a dramatic prerequisite a mentally ill individual must be able to provide. Because of this, many who would greatly benefit from such programs are unable to enroll. Is there a solution? Where can mentally ill individuals find meaningful work as well as great relationships to establish?

As an individual who is mentally ill and has been through a conundrum of behavioral health hospitals as well as residential treatment programs, I can say without a doubt that Clubhouse International has established the most beneficial as well as cost-effective solutions toward providing places where the mentally ill can find meaningful work while establishing fellowship with others facing similar difficulties. There are a generous number of Clubhouses (more than 300 to be exact) and I can readily discuss my personal experience with Hope Fort Bend Clubhouse. Clubhouses open their doors at 8 am and there is a list of jobs that members can write their name by if the work seems meaningful and fun. Then, to borrow Gould Farm's slogan, it's time to "get out of your head and into your hands". Members are engaged in work until lunch where meals are only a dollar. Lunch is also a time for both staff and members to regroup and discuss ideas for improving the experience at the Clubhouse. Then staff and members work for the rest of the time the Clubhouse remains open, typically till 5 pm. All of this is done in concordance with the 37 Standards that all Clubhouses across the globe must abide by. If a Clubhouse falls short of just one Standard, then that location cannot remain connected with Clubhouse International.

Clubhouses effectively instill a sense of service and purpose within each member and the proof is in the pudding. Nearly 42% of members at Accredited Clubhouses are employed (Macias, Rodican, Hargreaves et al, 2006) (Schonebaum, Boyd & Dudek, 2006) and Clubhouse members are significantly less likely to be hospitalized or incarcerated (De Masso, Avi-Itzak and Obler, 2001) (Johnson and Hickey, 1999). The annual cost of Clubhouses is about one-third to one-half the cost of other well-known models (McKay and Yates, 2007). To continue with cost, members are not required to pay a single dime to reap almost all of the benefits from Clubhouses. Once an individual is a member at one Clubhouse, he or she is a member at ALL of them due to the connection to Clubhouse International. Though members might pay a dollar per meal, that's awfully less daunting than paying $20,000 a month at a residential treatment program.

Clubhouse International has been an enormous blessing in my life and I know it has blessed a significant portion of the world's population that desperately needs the presence of organizations like these. My hope is that my testimony will establish greater awareness of Clubhouse International and increased creation of Clubhouses or programs that are nearly identical in structure and purpose. For the most part, the mental health system is atrocious, but Clubhouse International has found a way to navigate around the pitfalls other mental health programs fall into.