Wow! How? Community as therapy

Social isolation prevents people from getting help. The effect is amplified among people living with serious mental illness. They are the most in need of community support, yet are the least likely to get it in a health care system that is primarily focused on clinical interventions like medication.

A recent report by M. Usman, PhD, and Joshua Seidman, PhD, showed that connecting people, peer to peer, in a “clubhouse” model such as at their organization, Fountain House, we can see not only improvements in outcomes, but also significant cost savings.

For every one of the 60,000 clubhouse members who successfully access this peer-led therapeutic intervention, the U.S. health care system typically saves over $11,000 annually.

The more people who are able to be part of the program, the more lives would be transformed for the better and the more we as a society would benefit. And the cost savings multiply when looking at the implications of clubhouse membership for people living with schizophrenia and managing physical health care needs like diabetes, infection, heart disease, or cancer.

Fountain House’s origins trace back to the 1940s, when a group of people living with serious mental illness began meeting in a club room at a New York state psychiatric hospital. They shared stories and spent recreational time together, forging a path toward “community as therapy” which can help people build self-confidence and self-worth. Fountain House currently operates clubhouses in Manhattan and the Bronx.

By helping people to thrive, together, Fountain House is an example of patient-led innovation. Their work shows that there are people who would love to help you, if only they knew how to find you, and nobody should feel alone.