who help people
Clubhouse Texas is dedicated to providing resources that empower Texas communities to develop low-cost, community-driven mental health programs, called Clubhouses. We do this through collaboration with state and national mental health organizations, advocacy, and mentorship.
what is a clubhouse?
Clubhouses provide a caring, supportive community and meaningful work to individuals living with mental illness. Often diagnosed as children or adolescents, people with a chronic mental illness can spend a lifetime in and out of emergency rooms, jails and psychiatric hospitals. Membership and participation with the Clubhouse can help members avoid the crises that often result in hospitalization or incarceration.
Once individuals with mental illness are stabilized, they are often sent home. They are often isolated there, left to manage their illness alone. The Clubhouse surrounds the person with a community of peers, working side-by-side with professional staff. In addition to meaningful work, the Clubhouse has an employment program that helps members find jobs in their community.
Members show up for work every day, doing volunteer tasks and contributing to the maintenance and operations of the Clubhouse. Most participants avoid further hospitalizations as a direct result of attending and working at the Clubhouse.
Across the State, Clubhouses are helping their members lead rich and fulfilling lives
According to a 2018 survey of members in participating Clubhouses
Meet Leigh
School clubs, sleepovers, and sports teams are some of the aspects of being twelve that build confidence and a sense of independence. At twelve years old, Leigh was diagnosed with severe depression and Asperger’s Syndrome. Instead of joining clubs and socializing with peers her age, Leigh often resided at psychiatric hospitals and cycled through medications that had short-term effectiveness.
“I felt like a burden to everybody; like a lost cause.”
During her last hospitalization, Leigh learned about the Clubhouse. She found a place where people “are accepted as they are, care about each other, and work together.” She learned that in the Clubhouse the person comes first, and diagnosis does not limit her options.
When asked how being a member of the Clubhouse impacts her well-being, Leigh replied: “I never felt true confidence in myself as a person until I came here.”
Leigh has been an active Clubhouse member since 2014 and has since taken various leadership roles. She is often found at the media lab, applying her photography and graphic design skills, or traveling locally and globally accrediting Clubhouses. She currently owns her own business and has become a homeowner since joining the Clubhouse.
Each Clubhouse is independent and may choose to pursue these milestones at different times in the lifecycle, or not at all. Each Clubhouse reflects the needs of its individual community.
To learn about the groups that operate as Clubhouses, or that have expressed interest in the model in recent years, hover over the Clubhouse to see their progress. You can also click on each Clubhouse for more information.