Create a Work Group

Assemble a working group of a variety of stakeholders who have time, passion and knowledge to develop an ABI Clubhouse. Having at least three different types of stakeholders in the working group is important to hold each other accountable for garnering community support and keeping the process moving forward. Choose a facilitator and schedule regular meetings even if you feel stuck. This is going to be hard but rewarding work and it is important for the group to stay focused. Remember that you are starting a business and a program that other people will come to depend on. Too many early Clubhouse attempts have failed because people did not do the diligent work required to adhere to the program model. One of the first steps in your due diligence can be to…

Visit an ICCD or CARF Accredited Clubhouse

ICCD Certified Clubhouses serve people with mental illness (except Cornerstone in Canada which serves ABI) and are a wealth of information about the unique culture of this partnership model. There are seven ABI Clubhouses in the US that are accredited by the Commission for the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). Take 3 or more stakeholders and spend at least a whole day in a strong Clubhouse to get a feel for the model and to determine whether it will meet the needs of your community. The Clubhouse community is a generous group with a passion and commitment to helping all people living with ABI gain access to a Clubhouse if they want it. As you can imagine, Clubhouses are very busy places. We welcome your questions and a visit, but due to other ongoing commitments, we may not have time to train each group individually within a specific Clubhouse. However, the IBICA community will work with groups who have completed their diligence and have demonstrated the necessary commitment and resources to open a Clubhouse program.

Next Steps

IBICA is considering offering a New Clubhouse Development Workshop for interested working groups to be held once or twice a year. If your group is interested, please contact Cindi Johnson: cindi@sidebysideclubhouse.org for more information about schedules, costs, etc. We will help you assess your readiness for attending such a workshop and help you identify any preliminary steps you might want to take to make the best use of your working groups time and resources. After the workshop your group will be connected with a mentor who will likely be a current ABU Clubhouse Director to coach you through your action plan to open an ABI Clubhouse in your area.