Email | Print

Milwaukee, a Native American term meaning “gathering of people by the river,” is an apt name for the location of the 14th Biennial International Clubhouse Seminar, where over 800 people representing 22 countries came together to share ideas, information, tools, methods, experiences, and stories relevant to the clubhouse model of recovery from mental illness as practiced by clubhouses certified by the sponsor of the conference, the ICCD, or International Center for Clubhouse Development.
The ICCD Network of Clubhouses.
The ICCD is a global network of member Clubhouses, and Clubhouse sponsored employment, vocational, educational, and socialization programs provide opportunities for mentally ill members to live, work, and participate in their community; and for the first time in history huge numbers of mentally ill persons are living lives of dignity, respect, and hope.
The ICCD now consists of 334 member clubhouses in 29 countries, about half of which are certified. ICCD Clubhouses are an evolving and vital aspect of psychiatric recovery; Clubhouses are also revolutionary, erasing old stereotypes, and changing the way that the world responds to mental illness. 40 new Clubhouses were added within the past 2 years, with 2 Clubhouses in Uganda, and a first Clubhouse started in mainland China. The percentage of certified Clubhouses has increased, and the ICCD is working to establish Clubhouses in South America, as well as trying to establish the European Clubhouse Component, the EPCD, as part of the ICCD.
Conference Topics.
The 14th International Clubhouse Seminar participants, consumers and staff, hosted between 9 and 11 workshops each day of the conference, with 2 plenary sessions (all invited) most days. Conference topics ran the gamut of the Clubhouse Recovery experience, including, but not limited to, Wellness Initiatives, 21st Century Technology, Supported Education, Dual Recovery, Affordable Housing, Clubhouse Leadership, Orientation, Financial Management, Medicaid, Advisory Boards, Clubhouse Coalitions, Greening, Record Keeping, Youth Initiatives, Hiring Members as Staff, and a host of other topics, each one of interest to different members of the Clubhouse Community. Most workshops were filled almost to capacity, and the interchange of ideas were at times spirited, enthusiastic, empathetic, and even bordered on confrontational. As one of the basic principles of the Clubhouse Model is the engagement of members and staff in all aspects of Clubhouse operation (Clubhouse Standard #11), each workshop was facilitated by Clubhouse members and staff
Clubhouse Experiences.
The varied experiences of different Clubhouses were profiled. In a country without mental health resources and where the only alternative was a witch doctor, a disabled young African woman, named Veronica Nakyewe, started Uganda’s Comforter’s Clubhouse in response to a family member with mental illness. This Clubhouse began in a tent, and initially received assistance from Caledonia Clubhouse in Scotland that had a program to raise money for Clubhouses with special needs. Ms Tilly Brash, the mother of a mentally ill young man in Australia became a Clubhouse supporter when the inadequate mental health system failed her son, and he committed suicide. We heard from members from Fountain House Korea, the first Korean Clubhouse, formed in 1986, and Korea’s Taiwha Fountain House which has a roster of 950 members. We learned about Club Amit, the first Israeli Clubhouse, established in 2004, and Heartwing Clubhouse in Changsha, China, formed due to a shortage of outpatient rehab resources for discharged mentally ill patients in a country of 1.3 billion people. These are only a few of the Clubhouses discussed.
Reasons for Clubhouse Membership.
Regardless of the country, Clubhouse members worldwide join Clubhouses for the same reasons, namely, a place to belong where supports are offered in the areas of education, employment, and housing, in a safe, nonjudgmental and unconditional environment where peer support, socialization, structure and dignity are paramount Clubhouse supported housing, employment, and education programs are an integral part of the Clubhouse experience, and necessary in transforming lives from helplessness and insecurity into productive, meaningful existences, with the help of other members and staff.
In Closing.
The 14th International Clubhouse Seminar was a multi-cultural celebration of recovery for those of us that have seen the light after emerging from the darkness of mental illness. It is envisioned that increases in the size and abilities of Clubhouses are necessary, as an estimated 200 million people worldwide are living with serious mental illness.