Essay Sample on The Club House Model

Introduction

The Club House Model was founded in 1984. It is a psychosocial and a rehabilitation program, where work is considered to be the primary tool of rehabilitation. The Club House Model provides a range of social programs, health programs, educational and even employment programs. A model is a handy tool when it comes to assisting previously mentally- ill patients, who have had extended stays in hospitals or mental institutions and possibly lost their jobs or as a result. Their sole purposes being to help such victims of mental health get back on their feet. Food in the Clubhouse is offered at discounted prices. Clothes that have been donated are given to the patients for free. Group therapy sessions and AA meetings are also encouraged in the Clubhouse for recovering alcohol and substance abusers. In addition to all these, members of the Clubhouse work side by side with the staff. For this reason, the volunteering staff doesn't wear name tags to create a sense of equality.

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Among the advantages of Clubhouses, is the fact that unlike the traditional rehabilitation program, the Clubhouse Model enables its patients to gain a sense of mastery. That is a quality that is vital for the patients in coping with their symptoms and therefore, be able to adapt to the society with ease. Another advantage is that the model is very patient and supportive when it comes to its member's recovery. The model also helps in job searching for its members to get them back on their feet.

Despite all the above advantages, however, the Clubhouse Model also faces various challenges. One of them being the difficulty of having the sense of equality between the members and the staff, despite all the efforts to. This affects the outcome that the Clubhouse expects. There is also less workforce and in-service training that would support the Clubhouse' operation. The club members might also have difficulty when it comes to fitting in and interacting with fellow members and the staff. The reason for this could be that they all come from different backgrounds, each with different and various problems from each other. In addition to these, stigmatization from the community outside the Clubhouse might make it difficult for the members to get job opportunities one out.

My experience at the Clubhouse was one of a kind. Not only was it exciting but also gave me the satisfaction of enjoying my volunteering there. As a result, I'm also considering volunteering again whenever I'll be free. I noticed how selfless the Clubhouse is in helping their members get back on their feet. I was particularly impressed with a woman called Trudy. She worked in the kitchen where I'd volunteered to work. She is not only organized but also very detailed. The fact that I enjoy cooking made my experience with Trudy in the kitchen a once in a lifetime kind of experience. I had the luck of engaging one of the members, and I found out that he enjoyed gardening and who particularly loved eating his farm produce. He gave me an insight on life inside the Clubhouse, and he admitted on really enjoying spending his time there. I think that it's lovely that the clubhouse offers such a calming environment for its members.

While at the Clubhouse, I got to listen to some of the members' recovery stories. One man's story, however, caught my attention. He talked to the volunteers about drinking. He talked about his experience with the habit of drinking, and he further explained how drinking is a bad habit. The man had struggled with alcoholism for a very long time, and he was proof that alcohol leads one into making bad choices. He confessed his willingness to get his life back on track by staying sober. This man's recovery story had an impact on me, especially for the reason that I'll be a nurse in the future. Gaining knowledge on how bad disease alcohol is gives me a chance to help another person facing the same issue. After listening to that man's story, I was even more grateful that a place like a clubhouse exists for such individuals.