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Clubhouses are supposed to be places of healing for consumers who have recently been homeless, incarcerated or in the hospital. Clubhouses also are supposed to help consumers lead independent lives in the mainstream community. I am a consumer and have been a member of a clubhouse since 1989. I have interviewed directors of different clubhouses throughout New York City. I also interviewed consumers and staff at Fountain House, a big clubhouse in midtown Manhattan. This article is about how well clubhouses help consumers heal and become part of mainstream society. This article is also about how clubhouses can improve themselves to achieve these goals.

Nearly all of the consumers entering a clubhouse for the first time arrive straight from a hospital, a prison, or a jail. Some consumers arrived straight from the homeless system. These consumers have been through the ordeal of being shuffled through city and state systems of care and are in great need of a safe, welcoming place to heal. This is where clubhouses come in, offering a place to heal emotional wounds. The success of a clubhouse in providing a place to heal depends on the people on staff who serve clubhouse members.

After being hospitalized, I arrived at Fountain House, a clubhouse on West 47th Street in Manhattan, where I felt welcomed. The counselors were very nice and friendly, helping me to recover from my "psychological sores," and heal. The caring social workers made me feel like I was part of a family. They were patient with me while I was hurting.

Ray Bolling, program director of Harlem Bay Network, a clubhouse in upper Manhattan, knows how essential it is to have social workers who care, but he is careful to note which staff members work best with which populations. Mr. Bolling notes that a good program director watches his or her staff to make sure they are performing their tasks.

Clubhouse staffers also has to have longevity on the job, but in clubhouses there is a high turnover rate due to small salaries. This is one area where clubhouses can improve. High turnover rates lessen the bonding period between member-social worker teams. For instance, losing a favorite social worker may result in a member not coming back to the clubhouse.

David Lehman and Steve Dulittle of Venture House, a clubhouse in Jamaica, Queens are saddened that staff salaries are "totally inadequate to live on," leaving some social workers to work two jobs or to work overtime and sometimes resort to public benefits such as food stamps.

In order to heal, clubhouse members need to feel that how they think and feel matter. At Fountain House, members are involved in the staff hiring process, making them feel that their opinions and needs do matter when selecting staff.

My clubhouse helps me become more independent because it teaches me how to maintain a working schedule like school does. Going to the clubhouse on time and participating in a workday order schedule, I feel like a responsible adult and a necessary part of the clubhouse. In the horticulture unit my responsibilities are first to water the plants and gardens, then weed and plant the bulbs; then there are some cleaning chores. Also part of working on this unit is the artwork we do related to the seasons of the year. This routine at the horticulture unit reflects how other units operate with their list of structured daily chores. Other units where consumers participate include intake; clerical; housing; senior center; snack bar; and advocacy.

Tom Pudny lives in a residence provided by his clubhouse, without which he could neither heal nor become more independent. He would be homeless. At Fountain House, he heals through the enjoyment of amateur gardening with the horticulture unit, and socializing. He says Fountain House is "chock full of opportunities." He says a member can do more when they are functional as opposed to being ill.

My clubhouse encouraged me to take my medication, and work with my psychiatrist who is a positive and influential figure in my life. If medications aren't working well for me Fountain House would contact my doctor who would recommend a new medication.

The next phase of my healing is the independence I find through participating in the education unit and employment unit. Many clubhouses have these units tied together. The education unit has a pre-college unit, which prepares students for college. It can also help people already going to college with ongoing support. In spite of having a psychiatric relapse and entering the hospital, with the support from the education unit, I continued my course in introductory psychology and earned an "A." The unit help members earn their GED and, eventually, college degrees. The employment unit provides paid work in prestigious Fortune 500 and Fortune 100 companies. Paid work provides for the healthy transition into mainstream society where productive members hold jobs, fostering more independence. Keeping a work schedule and having work-related responsibilities make me feel important and responsible. Clubhouses are great for temporary employment positions, however, when it comes to long-term independent employment they provide less support. With independent employment, a job manager is not there to help. Job managers provide for a smooth transition into the workplace and are in contact with your employer.

Clubhouses encourage socialization, an important key to living in the mainstream community and for healing. We all need relationships with other people in order to grow as human beings. At my clubhouse, members engage in activities such as sports, picnics, outings, birthday parties and more, which helps us to heal together when we enjoy ourselves together. As for the problems, I think clubhouses should have staff that is more sensitive, knowledgeable and caring. Having a Masters in Social Work should not be the only thing that clubhouses consider when hiring people. This lack of well-qualified staff people may be due to low salaries. I believe that clubhouses need the same type of management as private corporations so there would be more efficiency in the social service system. Social events should involve more of the mainstream community because I feel that clubhouses are set apart from the community. I also think clubhouses could be more culturally sensitive and integrated.