Clubhouse Outcomes

People with mental illness can successfully participate in society through education, employment and other social activities. The personal stories of members and their families and an increasing body of research provide evidence that Clubhouses provide a holistic, inspiring and cost-effective solution for people living with mental illness.
The Clubhouse experience has been proven to result in positive outcomes for many members, including:

• Employment, with longer on-the-job tenure for members engaging in Clubhouse Transitional Employment. ¹
• A significant decrease in hospitalizations as a result of membership in a Clubhouse program. ³
• Reduced incarcerations, with criminal justice system involvement substantially diminished during and after Clubhouse psychosocial program membership. ⁴
• Improved Well-Being compared with individuals receiving psychiatric services without Clubhouse membership. Clubhouse members were significantly more likely to report that they had close friendships and someone they could rely on when they needed help.⁵
• Better physical and mental health. A recent study suggests that service systems like Clubhouses that offer ongoing social supports enhance mental and physical health by reducing disconnectedness. ⁶

Sources: ¹ Macias, Kinney and Rodican (1995). ³ De Masso, Avi-Itzak and Obler (2001).. ⁴ Johnson and Hickey (1999). ⁵ Warner, Huxley and Berg (1999).. ⁶ Leff and colleagues (2004).
Additional information on the Clubhouse research is available on the website of Clubhouse International
Research findings in Finland
According to the largest multi-science and multi-method study covered in Finland 18 Clubhouses, 190 newly joint members and 290 long-term members. The Main finding was that the data shows quite consistently – irrespective of the source – that Clubhouses for mental health rehabilitees play a crucial, cost-effective and complementary role in the mental health service system in Finland. (Hietala-Paalasmaa, O. & Hujanen, T. & Härkäpää, K. & Reuter, A. 2009).