Recovery from mental illness through employment

The Life Link offers outpatient treatment programs for chronic and persistent mental health issues, including: Santa Fe Clubhouse – A Life Link Program.

Who We Are:

Santa Fe Clubhouse is a model of psychosocial rehabilitation based on the successful Fountain House Model founded in 1948. There are more than 400 Clubhouses worldwide. Participants are “members”, not patients or clients.

Members and staff work together in an atmosphere of mutual caring and respect, while performing the wide variety of tasks necessary to operate the Clubhouse. In doing so, they experience meaningful work, meaningful relationships and meaningful opportunities, while developing the confidence and skills that are essential to returning to paid employment in the community.

Who We Serve:

People recovering from serious mental illness.

Clubhouse Philosophy

Through the experience of participating in meaningful work in a safe community, members develop real relationships while gaining the self-confidence and other skills essential to integrate back into the larger community and return to paid employment. Members and staff organize themselves in work units for the daily operation of the Clubhouse.

Work Units at the Clubhouse

When a member joins the clubhouse, he or she selects a work unit according to his or her interests and abilities. The member can then sign up to perform the unit tasks, working side-by-side with the clubhouse staff in a unique partnership and contributing in meaningful ways to the overall operation of the clubhouse. All member contribution inside the clubhouse is done on a voluntary basis.

Members of the Santa Fe Club House can choose from the following work units:<

Employment Unit

• Business Administration
• Job Development and Support
• Data Entry
• Statistics
• Correspondence
• Newsletter Production and Other Publications

Hospitality Unit

Receptionist Duties

• Enrollment and Orientation
• Reach-Out
• Budgeting
• Menu Planning
• Grocery Shopping
• Cooking
• Serving Meals/Bussing Tables
• Cashiering
• Dishwashing
• Cleaning

Independent Employment is the goal for many members. The Clubhouse provides support and resources to assist members in securing and maintaining permanent employment.

Santa Fe Clubhouse – A Life Link Program

1300 Luisa Street, Suite 1
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505
505-986-9136

email: sfclubhouse@thelifelink.org

. . .

The Santa Fe Clubhouse: “It gives me a reason for getting up in the morning” (- A Clubhouse Member)

Since opening its doors on September 6, 2011, The Life Link’s new psycho-social rehabilitation facility, the Santa Fe Clubhouse, has welcomed more than 150 clients into its inviting space.

Any client of The Life Link may be a member of this club and is encouraged to participate. The Clubhouse offers a place where members make decisions and offer ideas on the operation of the facility and suggest what kinds of activities they would like to see offered. Each weekday, members arrive, pour themselves cup of coffee or tea, great friends and staff, and have the opportunity to sign up for work that needs to be completed for the day.

Like other clubhouses throughout the United States and internationally, the Santa Fe Clubhouse is focused on the work-ordered day. Members help prepare the noon lunch, wash dishes, answer phones, sweep floors, and clean bathrooms. One very important job – working in the kitchen – builds friendships, is a great place to tell good stories, express concerns, and laugh at jokes. But members also learn to cook and share their cooking skills with others, and gain experience in a semi-commercial kitchen setting. These skills help build a resume for those who are interested in restaurant work. The meals have been extraordinary.

The Clubhouse also features numerous groups and classes for members to choose from that range from job skills, creative writing, money management, yoga, GED and others. Some of the groups are member run; others are facilitated by staff.

Computers are available for members to use to create or update their resumes, learn computer skills, open email accounts and apply for jobs. Staff and members help those who need technical assistance. In the few weeks that the Clubhouse has been open, four members have found jobs, several have improved their resumes and others have secured job interviews.

One member recently affirmed: “There are great resources here. You know you can go to the library, but you don’t get the warmth and caring that you feel at the clubhouse. The beauty of this place is that it creates for members a safe place to individually and collectively learn recovery in so many positive ways.”

The Santa Fe Clubhouse is located at 1318 Luana Street, one block from the main Life Link campus.

Hours are 9am to 3pm, Monday through Friday.