Comments for TandC Associates, LLC

Comment on Exclusion vs Opportunity – Part III: Socialization by Deborah Malamud

Deborah Malamud — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 15:11:48 +0000

Socialization is incredibly important, not only for clubhouse members themselves, but for society too. Growing up as the daughter of social workers, I learned that people with mental illness are primarily people–people who work hard (or don’t), who have the same feelings and goals as those without. This is something that is missing from most portrayals of mental illness, in movies and so forth: so often it’s the people themselves that are missing.

I remember Fountain House Farm Project at High Point, NY. I have so many positive memories, not only of the house and the farm, but of the joy of the members and staff there. It was hard work, but I don’t remember anyone slacking. Meals were a time of discussion, humor and fun. There was no working TV (although I remember watching movies on a VCR), so there was a lot of interaction.

I’ve since met people who are afraid of mental illness, and I do my best to tell them what I’ve learned, but I think it’s a message that doesn’t absorb until you’ve met someone who is struggling or has overcome their illness.

Comment on Exclusion vs Opportunity – Part III: Socialization by Mark Glickman

Mark Glickman — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 02:53:48 +0000

It is essential to focus on the issue of exclusion, — by doing so it cuts to the heart of the challenges facing those with severe psychiatric illnesses. All the disabling conditions that arise with mental illness are exacerbated by exclusion and the isolation. Clubhouses are definitely the best way to reverse this downward spiral by providing a social network, as this posting describes so well.

Subsenquently, the opportunity brings members back, closer to the center of the world of friends, work and decent housing. When I was a member many years ago the living room at Fountain House was a sanctuary for me, where I needed to spend time before having the ability to participate more actively. This “sanctuary” aspect of the Clubhouse gives members the chance to proceed at their own pace, an essential element of recovery from an illness whose effects are mostly invisible.

For me, socialization was the foundation I had to establish before being able to take on aspects of Clubhouse work of which I wasn’t yet capable. Eventually I think some people move on from the original social network they established at the Clubhouse. And decades later I still remain connected, like one would with a family, to many of those with whom I bonded during my recovery at Fountain House.

Thanks again for your important series on this critical subject.

Comment on ADVOCACY IN THE CLUBHOUSE – Welcoming Members with HIV+/AIDS by Mark Glickman

Mark Glickman — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 02:40:31 +0000

This posting — on Advocacy and AIDS in the Clubhouse — is a very valuable one. In all probability, little has been written of the double stigma of AIDS and severe psychiatric illness. I appreciate how you point out how so much effort was made to be inclusive of this member especially at a time when there was great fear and misunderstanding about AIDS in the mid 1980′s.

With the rise of effective drugs to control the virus. so much less is heard about AIDS. It is certainly worth wondering whether a certain complacency has occurred among funding sources, for example. Or even, how difficult it is in this era for those with this dual diagnosis.

Thanks again for the thought provoking article on this subject.

Comment on Exclusion vs Opportunity – Part I by Mark Glickman

Mark Glickman — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 16:08:55 +0000

It is fascinating how this article compares the work needed to overcome the hurdles to integrating two very different populations, indigenous Australians and people living with severe psychiatric illnesses.
Exclusion and stigma are a common bond in the two groups linked so well here. It is interesting that the answer in both cases is so similar…a form of vocational prosthesis to overcome the vocational and social disadvantages faced by both groups. For both the indigenous population and people living with severe mental illness the vocational arrangement with real businesses is the most transformative part of the solution to a better life and greater inclusion.
Exclusion has been historically been the fate of those with severe psychiatric illness. The success of the Clubhouse Model which originated at Fountain House has been the first successful comprehensive means of reversing this exclusionary process. The beauty of this article and the comparison of the two groups addressed and programs addressed is that it links exclusion/inclusion as a key factor in the fate of all people.

Comment on The Clubhouse and Wellness Partnership by Mark Glickman

Mark Glickman — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 03:17:53 +0000

Having been around the Clubhouse world since 1973, I have unfortunately known many members who have died way before their time. We must struggle to help overcome the increased health risks which are often the “side effects” of severe psychiatric illness, like complications of necessary medications, obesity, smoking, poor nutrition. lack of exercise and lack of timely and effective medical services. Very crucial to improving this very serious situation, is greater access to and partnership with psychiatric and medical services. Many of our programs have already established excellent wellness programs. The next step, I believe, means evolving to a stage where our Clubhouse model is both better understood and recognized by psychiatry and the medical community. Also if we are to continue to provide the gold standard in psychiatric recovery we need to increasingly help raise the standards of psychiatric and medical care for our members in as accessible and effective way we can in the community. We have always in our Clubhouse history helped members get psychiatric care, now we to need find better ways to integrate this care into the opportunity ecosystem which includes employment, housing, and education, all flowing from the Clubhouse, where members find their sense of purpose. self confidence and dignity. Greater recognition and partnership from psychiatry and better access to medical services will both greatly improve our ability to help transform member’s lives and strengthen our Clubhouse movement.

Comment on Clubhouse and Psychiatry — A Follow-Up by Ralph Aquila

Ralph Aquila — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 16:23:43 +0000

I believe it is important to underscore the value of the clubhouse model in the bigger arena of recovery. Too often I read about recovery models that are doing good work, but never cite clubhouses in the article or in the bibliographies. Clubhouse may not work for everyone with a serious mental illness, but in the shortage of quality programs available for persons trying to turn their lives around, Fountain House and similar clubhouse models are a valuable option.

Comment on Clubhouse and Psychiatry — A Follow-Up by Mark Glickman

Mark Glickman — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 04:45:49 +0000

Thanks for sharing this important information from the symposium. I think it is essential that members of Clubhouses get first rate and accessible psychiatric and medical care. It is hard for anyone to navigate our current medical system and our members need more help to get the crucial clinical services they need for a full recovery. So I think increasingly getting more recognition from Psychiatry as a profession of the importance of Clubhouse as the “gold standard” in psychiatric recovery and building more accessible opportunities, geared to member needs for good clinical care is an idea whose time has come!

Comment on Welcome to TandC Associates, LLC Website! by AJ Alembakis

AJ Alembakis — Wed, 23 May 2012 11:07:54 +0000

Great work!