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 Stewardship and Leadership from Within

One of the core values I learned from my experiences at Fountain House was the importance of the genealogical perspective provided by the original WANA membership.  The notion that admission to the program was made possible by all of those who came before is fundamental to the ethos of this intentional community.  Understanding that this is so demands that the present generation of members see themselves as stewards who need to maintain the community in order to pass it along to all of those who will follow.

President John Kennedy provided about the best description of what stewardship is about when he said:

“It is our task in our time and in our generation to hand down undiminished to those who come after us, as was handed down to us by those who went before, the natural wealth and beauty which is ours.”

Stewardship evokes an intellectual and emotional linkage between the past, the present and the future and as of this date includes nearly 20,000 men and women who have had as a common “gene pool” the desire to overcome mental illness in order to reach positive goals.  What is most satisfying to me about this approach is that it adds to the reintegration process by creating a “band of brothers and sisters” mentality further supporting the idea of self-help through mutual help.

At Fountain House the line of this stewardship began with the WANA group led by Michael Obolensky, a Rockland State Hospital patient and a strong force in the early years.  In a genealogical sense, he was followed by the next generation that included Michael Gask and Peter DeFiedler.  The third generation included some members who came on the staff.

Ronald provides an early example of a member who later joined the staff.  Having been hospitalized from the age of 8 to 18 year old, Ronnie was referred to Fountain House at his discharge.  As he had never seen non-fluorescent light bulbs or upholstered furniture, he didn’t come into Fountain House the first time because he felt it looked too good for a person like him.  When he returned several months later, he recognized some of the members from his time in hospital and so decided to try it out.  Ronnie had several TE placements before becoming the leader of a group placement at Chock Full O’Nuts restaurant.  Following that he became a staff worker, and later a program unit leader in the Snack Bar.  Having only completed the 4th grade in hospital, he got his GED while at Fountain House.  Currently, he is the longest serving staff worker at the

Grace (as mentioned in earlier lessons) was hired as a full time worker at the Sears Fashion Distribution Center in New Jersey.  More importantly, her continued involvement with Fountain House made her secondary job as supervisor of TE employees doubly meaningful.  She served as a liaison between members, Sears’s management and Fountain House.  She became part of the teaching function, returning to Fountain House bringing hope to other members bound for TE placements.

The next generation to assume this stewardship included Mark, John, Ray, Ellen and Michael, among others.  This group, some of whom also became staff, initiated the practice of members serving as faculty in the training of visiting colleagues attending Fountain House to learn about the clubhouse model.  As such not only were these individuals teaching others attempting to replicate the clubhouse elsewhere, but they also served as models to their own community as to the ways in which one can assume leadership and further serve as stewards for future generations.

It was during this time, 1979, that Fountain House obtained an NIMH grant specifically to training members in leadership roles.  Fountain House initially identified seven such leadership roles:

1.  Intake and Orientation
2.   Reach out
3. Evaluation and Research
4. Tutoring
5. Development of own Rehabilitation Plans
6. Member Literature
7. Advocacy

It is important to note that these seven member roles were by no means to be taken as all the leadership roles which are possible for members to assume.  Soon after the project began, for example,  Fountain House identified a role in which members who have done well in the Transitional Employment (TE) program started helping other members learn the skills, duties and responsibilities required for TE.  Thus, the number and range of opportunities for major member responsibility has continued to expand as more and more clubhouses introduce the concept of member leadership in their own programs

Mark had some thoughts about leadership:

“I think all of the stories of members going onto staff are an interesting contrast to the fad in many states to have consumers sort of drafted directly into jobs as “peer counselors”. 

To me this peer counselor idea subverts the use of leadership in the clubhouse as a big part of the process of recovery.

(Transitioning from) Member to staff has to be done with sensitivity because obviously that can subvert the process but at least it’s not a whole program and strategy.”

Michael was a marvelous person to meet and know.  He came from a deeply religious background.  His brother was a priest, and Michael also was highly spiritual.  Among his many attributes, he served as a kind of conscience for those around him.

Michael had been at Fountain House for some seven years and had started and completed nine TE placements when he was rehospitalized, because, as he said:

“During most of that time, I was rarely at the clubhouse.  I just used it as a drop-in center.  When I came back,  Donny (his worker) encouraged me to take on more of a leadership role.  It was the first time I had thought of myself as a leader, and what that meant.”

Over the years, Michael increased this role by participating in Colleague Training and other in-house seminars.  He also became the first member to serve on the Fountain House Board of Directors.

In a somewhat different context, such leadership provided a strong support to me and also with my efforts to change the attitudes of the larger mental health community.  When I became Program Director in 1987 part of my duties included attending city-level meetings, including those called by the City Department of Mental Health, local State Office of Mental Hygiene, various local Mental Health Associations and so forth.  Almost always these meetings were traditionally and exclusively the realm of specially chosen people, whether agency Director, Program Director or their designee.  Again, almost always these meetings turned into gossip sessions, or otherwise dull childish humor about the mentally ill.

After I took on this role of Program Director, I made sure that a member such as Maria or Judy joined me in attending these sessions.  Having members with me at these meetings, not only changed the tone of the meetings, but also led to a greater awareness in others that consumers should be involved in a proactive way of policy making.

As a result, some stewards have become advocates in the larger community:

Alice and Walter have worked together to represent the Fountain House community on the Clinton Community Planning Board and also the Roosevelt Hospital Advisory Council.  In addition Walter attends most of the open meetings with the local office of the New York State Adult Career and Continuing Educational Services-Vocational Rehabilitation (ACCES-VR)  — formerly New York State’s Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID).

Another group of such stewards completed their own education and training and moved on to provide service in the mental health field elsewhere.

Robert had something to say about the leadership role of a consumer in the mental health field:

“I have always wanted to work as a service provider in the mental health field, because I feel that my experiences make me suitable for such a career.  In 1996, I did per diem work in a residence operated by a mental health program.  Unfortunately, I was treated poorly by some of my co-workers, and I resigned. We call that stigma.

I did my last full placement as a mail clerk for Dow Jones.  Eight months later, I was just a medication change away from being able to work full-time.  Early in 2002, with the help of my employment counselor, I responded to a job listing of the Baltic Street Mental Health Board, which hires predominately consumers of mental health services.  Together, we prepared an n undated resume and a cover letter.  I did a mock interview and finally after a number of calls to the director of human resources, I went on real interviews…four of them.  I passed each one.  In April, I started as a housing specialist in the Fordham section of the Bronx. 

I had a good first year, but then ran into trouble when we attempted to streamline my medication regimen.  Quick action by the ‘Rehabilitation Alliance’* saved my job.  However, I had to transfer to Staten Island, and for almost two years I have had the position of Peer Advocate.   Another full-time worker from Fountain House was very impressed that I am willing to commute from Manhattan to Staten Island each day to maintain independent employment, and thus terminate my disability benefits.  I hope to continue working past my 65th birthday.”

*In an earlier article on this webpage, “Clubhouse and Psychiatry (July 2012)”, the Rehabilitation Alliance has been described.

 

As usual, this posting is part of a larger body of work pending publication.  Any quotation, or reference to it (or others) must be made with the authors’ permission, which may be obtained by contract through the e-mail listed below:

tandcassociates@gmail.com

or by contact via the URL below.   Readers’ comments and feedback are welcome by the same means, which will be edited and published for further discussion.

 

The Importance of Employment — Part 3 — Further Comments

Because a clubhouse staff worker is responsible for each transitional employment placement (TEP), if for some reason the member does not show up for work, that staff has to be prepared to fill-in to prevent letting the employer down.  The same core value system that underlies the whole program is thus present on a TE placement — i.e. the staff needs the member to do the job.

One of my first individual placements was at Seybert-Nicholas Printing Company. The job was a combination of porter and delivery work. It was an extremely demanding job. Soon after I became the placement manager, an opening occurred. As I looked around my program area, I believed that I had no one ready to place there, so I had to go fill-in. After a 4-hour shift, I came back to Fountain House so tired that when I looked again around the house, I “discovered” any number of people who certainly could benefit from this placement! I filled the placement successfully, the next day, and boy, was I appreciative!

There is another aspect of this kind of professional involvement that, while unanticipated, is worth noting. Fountain House ran a group placement at a car wash, located on the lower east side of Manhattan, one block west of the Bowery. This was an area known for its inhabitants – homeless substance abusers. One day as I was at the front of the car wash, a car pulled up driven by a former psychology graduate school classmate. He saw me, but purposely avoided eye contact. Puzzled, I decided to follow the car through the line and met him as he prepared to leave. I greeted him, but again he seemed embarrassed, smiling awkwardly and saying, “It must be nice to be working.” He never asked why I was there, but was so sure that by being so near the Bowery, my story must have been a most sad one, indeed…

Of course, the whole purpose of this kind of “treatment” is totally unlike most clinical interventions. This method — getting to know somebody while doing productive work with that person — has been very successful with a certain group: clinically severely disabled men and women. These members’ personal experiences underscore this approach in the clubhouse employment program.

Rose, who was a modest hard-working member, had a smile and a kind word.for everybody. She had been hospitalized for over 10 years and was most grateful just to be out of hospital. But more than that she had a singular view about what work meant to her in terms of her recovery and future:

     (Work is) interesting and it gets your life going. It gives you responsibility and also makes you feel different, makes you feel that you can face the outside world. And also, makes you feel that you are important. Important to your people (and) important to your friends because you are earning money. You’re making your own penny; your own dollar bill; your own cent. And when you walk into the store, you feel, well, I can buy this and I can buy that, because it’s your money, and it’s a wonderful feeling.
      And I’m glad to be working. And you usually look forward not to remaining here because you… give the other fellow a chance from the hospital to come out and see what he can do. It took a couple of years until somebody came over can said: “Would you like to go to work? And do something, and make something out of your life?” And I said, “Yes, would you teach me how?” And she said “Yes, I’ll teach you how to collate.”
      And I couldn’t get it right away, because sometimes you don’t get things right away, putting your mind that you can do something like you can write a letter, or write things that you want to buy and go shopping. You have to have a clear mind. When you have a clear mind, you sit down and you work, and I did. I proved that I can work.

Casey was also very serious about wanting to work, as he had not been employed for some 20 years, most of which was due to a long-term hospitalization. After joining Fountain House, his chance came when he was offered a TE placement as a delivery worker at Joseph Treu, a manufacturer of rubber stamps. He also moved into a Fountain House Supported apartment in the north Bronx. Things were going well for several weeks, when a strike closed down the entire New York City Transit System. Undaunted, Casey arouse at 4 am, had breakfast and walked all the way from Webb Avenue in the north Bronx to midtown Manhattan, some 140 blocks (over seven miles). He arrived at work just before 9:00 am, his regular starting time. Irving, the owner, was so impressed and touched that he allowed Casey to rest for 30 minutes before sending him out, and the end of his shift, let him leave a half hour early. We arranged for Casey to stay in another Fountain house apartment in Manhattan much closer to his job for the duration of the strike.

Sol (as mentioned in a previous posting) had a most difficult time with depression, but was able to take advantage of a unique employment opportunity. In 1967, Fountain House was just starting an innovative work approach for certain members who were unable, un interested, or otherwise unavailable for TE or other employment. With this new initiative, these members would register and open their own entrepreneurial small businesses in New York City.

We found out that Sol had had experience in the fashion industry where he had maintained several excellent contacts. It soon became clear that he also had a special talent with potential customers – he was a born salesman. We registered “Sol’s Clothing” and he was soon making a good profit on his sales of both men’s and especially women’s fine fashions. While his head banging continued, the incidences were much less frequent. One of the reasons for this positive outcome most probably was that with his earnings, he was able to help his son, David, graduate from Cooper Union and become a rehabilitation engineer.

This Small Business initiative was responsible in helping a number of other members to have an income-generating experience, which in some cases served as a step towards other independent employment:

Betty operated Miss Betty Assemblies under contracts with the All-Rite Pen Company and a Queens-based pocket calendar company. Betty had been in the hospital for most of her adult life, but ran her own business for several years until she retired. Betty was a special person for me because she was so sweet and so alone. She lived in a Supportive Apartment on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, which I visited periodically to help with clean–up and minor repairs.  In many ways she reminded me of a distant relative.  As a young bachelor, I would occasionally celebrate the New York scene, sometimes to excess.  The day after such an episode, I came to work at Fountain House.  After a short time, Betty looked around to the group and said, quite sweetly, “Strange, but I think I detect a faint odor of alcohol.”  No reproach, but an acknowledgement that led me to be a little more circumspect in my personal celebrations.

Herb owned Herb’s Messenger Service before he returned to the department store field from which he had started in years before.

Mike ran the Kendell Collating Company.

Vincent worked with Sol as a clothing salesman until he demonstrated his readiness to take on independent employment. He served as a security guard for many years until his retirement.

Mary operated Ms. Em’s Typing Service; Francis, The Forge Ahead Typing Service; and Sylvia, Sylvia’s Typing Service.

Another Vincent opened his own messenger service for a short time before following a wholly different path as described elsewhere.

Grace came to Fountain House as a very young woman barely, 20 years old. She had a talent for assembly work, so she opened Miss Grace Assemblies. As she gained confidence, she then moved on to a TE placement at Sears Fashion Distribution Center in New Jersey, and after completing six months went to another placement. Her work at Sears was so appreciated, however, that after completing her next placement (not at Sears), she was hired as a regular full time employee at Sears.

 

This series is an abstraction from a larger writing, pending publication; therefore, any reference to (or quotation from) any of the series must be made with the expressed permission of the author. Requests may be directed to this E-mail address:

tandcassociates@gmail.com

As always, readers’ comments and feedback are cordially welcome at the URL below, or at the same e-mail address listed.

The Importance of Employment (Part 1) — My Introduction to this Subject

Upon separation from the Army in 1964, I sought a job in the mental health field and discovered Fountain House in New York City. I was hired as what now is called a “job coach” to work with a group of discharged patients at a local car wash. Under the mentorship of John Beard, then Fountain House’s Executive Director, a vision of hope and a positive future was solidified for members (the clubhouse term for “consumers”) through the development of relationships and the opportunity to go to work.

A major employment program first initiated at Fountain House is Transitional Employment (TE). TE provides entry-level, part-time work opportunities to members in actual places of business at the prevailing wage. The placement actually belongs to the clubhouse and first a staff worker learns the job and then trains a member for it. As its name suggests for each member the TE is temporary, usually 6-8 months, after which it is turned over to another member. The replaced member then goes to another TE, an independent job, school or some combination of his or her own choosing.

The car wash was the first group TE project, wherein a staff worker was on-site to train and supervise several members who were not available for individual placement where they would be on their own. It provided an opportunity for a person just coming out of the hospital to go to work for even one day, to be paid at the end of their shift and have the feeling of independence right away. For Bill, Marty, Sal, Cheryl, Jose and over time many others, this was their first job after long years of hospitalization. I learned how important even a menial job could be and that it can lead to other jobs.

Sal is but one example of someone who got his start at the carwash. After many years in Brooklyn State Hospital (later Kings County Psychiatric Center), Sal came to Fountain House while still in hospital. Soon after becoming a member he started working four-hour shifts two days a week at the carwash, again while still in hospital.  This was his first paying job ever, and over time he gradually increased his schedule to 20 hours/five days a week.

After several months, we found an apartment for him. He left the hospital and began a new job as a messenger for an advertising company, a job he held for years. Sal had sad eyes, a wistful smile, and an engaging personality.

Robert, at my retirement party in 2006, commented: “When I first came to Fountain House, Tom Malamud first came here too. I worked with him at Lafayette Car Wash. He also remembers the guy who came with me, (and turned out to be) Sal.”

Bill served as a kind of foreman at the car wash. After over 20 years in the hospital, Bill was now in his early 60’s, and this placement was the first employment he had had since he was a young man. He quickly learned all aspects of the job and easily provided assistance to those who were just starting there. He enjoyed being a trainer and his “trainees” were always appreciative.

The carwash was my first assignment at Fountain House and it was there that I learned for sure the importance of being directly involved in tasks with members. Working together provided the best opportunity for forming productive relationships. In addition to the satisfaction of having such relationships, I got to know people well enough to have a meaningful input into their goal planning. It is the best kind of “therapeutic” involvement, one in which I got as much out of the relationship as the other party.

One knows that when a relationship of this type exists such simple personal factors as a person’s birthday, favorite dessert, how one takes coffee or tea, are known and acknowledged. Often for people who have been institutionalized for years, they have not had such relationships, which makes them even more appreciated.

This series is an abstraction from a larger writing, pending publication; therefore, any reference to (or quotation from) any of the series must be made with the expressed permission of the author. Requests may be directed to this E-mail address

tandcassociates@gmail.com

As always, readers’ comments and feedback are cordially welcome at the URL below, or at the same e-mail address listed.