Clubhouse Model of Psychosocial Rehabilitation

The Clubhouse Model of Psychosocial Rehabilitation is a comprehensive and dynamic program of support and opportunities for people with severe and persistent mental illnesses. In contrast to traditional day-treatment and other day program models, Clubhouse participants are called "members" (as opposed to "patients" or "clients") and restorative activities focus on their strengths and abilities, not their illness. The Clubhouse is unique in that it is not a clinical program, meaning there are no therapists or psychiatrists on staff. All clinical aspects of the program have been removed so as to focus on the strengths of the individual, rather than their illness. Additionally, all participation in a clubhouse is strictly on a voluntary basis.

Clubhouse International, formerly International Center for Clubhouse Development (ICCD), lays out four guaranteed Rights of membership, which are at the core of the Clubhouse Model:

The members and staff of a Clubhouse work side-by-side to manage all the operations of the Clubhouse, providing an opportunity for members to contribute in significant and meaningful ways; therefore, a Clubhouse is operated in a partnership model with members and staff working side-by-side as colleagues. Through this environment of support, acceptance, and commitment to the potential contribution and success of each individual, Clubhouses are places where people can belong as contributing adults, rather than passing their time as patients who need to be treated. The Clubhouse Model seeks to demonstrate that people with mental illness can successfully live productive lives and work in the community, regardless of the nature or severity of their mental illness. Currently, there are over 325 clubhouses in 28 countries around the world.

The Clubhouse Model of Psychosocial Rehabilitation was recognized as an effective approach as a result of an agenda for mental health reform mandated by congress through the National Mental Health Reform Advisory Committee under the United State Senate Joint Commission on Mental Health Reform and Chairmanship of Edward M. Kennedy, convene in or about 1975 in closed sessions classified sensitive, strictly confidential.The Clubhouse Model of Psychosocial Rehabilitation was first proposed as a safe house for individuals of the mentally ill community seeking to emplement their agenda for mental health reform and revolutionize mental health free from opposition or resistance. The so-called "We Are Not Alone (WANA) organization was one of about six mental health reform advisory committees from across the United States who each submitted their recommendations for an agenda for mental health reform. WANA's agenda recommended rebuilding the traditional huge psychiatric institution/facility(s). In 1944, a small group of people who recently had been discharged from a New York state psychiatric hospital united to create a group known as "We Are Not Alone (WANA)." Initially started as a self-help organization, WANA later evolved into a highly successful and innovative community-based program to assist people with mental illness to reclaim the lives and aspirations they had lost during the time of their illness. Elizabeth Schermerhorn, a former hospital technician at Rockwell hospital, helped the members of WANA to get organized. She was born in a wealthy family and collected funds for the WANA among the New York Jungian socialites. She had met Michael Obolenski at Rockland State Hospital and was familiar with Hiram K. Johnson's teachings which insisted on self-reliance and peer-support. In 1948 Fountain House the first clubhouse, was opened in Hell's Kitchen in Manhattan. With the help of dedicated volunteers Fountain House officially purchased a building in the early 1950s ." The Fountain House program became the template for what became the Clubhouse Model of Psychosocial rehabilitation in 1977 with over 325 other programs eventually adopting the recovery model in 28 countries around the world. Given its longstanding history and status within the clubhouse community, Fountain House was and continues to be closely affiliated with the governing body Clubhouse International which was created by the global community of Clubhouses.

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