SURREY — It's a myth that people with a mental illness can't contribute to their communities, and Fraser Health's clubhouse program proves it isn't so.
The Surrey Clubhouse program, which has a recovery-oriented philosophy, is an example of a place where people are defined by their abilities and talents rather than a diagnosis.
Anthony Neptune, manager of rehabilitation and recovery services at Fraser Health, explained that the people who use the clubhouse are responsible for defining the types of activities of the program as well as maintaining the site.
"We have these clubhouses across the health authority (in house-like settings) where the members come and they make the lunches, they answer the phones, they produce the newsletters, they organize the activities and they have a strong focus on employment in those programs."
The program takes a holistic view toward those who use it.
"We know from evidence that if we focus on the strengths of an individual and we say, you know - what are the opportunities, what are the supports that they have around them, where are there deficits that we need to strengthen, what do we need to do - if we approach our work from that perspective, what happens is the individual is likely to be very engaged in the process," said Neptune.
"They move from feeling we are doing something to them to we are working with them."
In fact, there are people such as Kristine Barker who go from being a participant in the clubhouse program to being a peer support worker.
"A clubhouse works on the premise of what's called psychosocial rehab and it's really giving people skills to live in the community and be successful," said Barker.
One of the things Barker does is lead a Healthy Habits, Healthy Lifestyles group where people learn to make nutritious meals on their own.
"A lot of times when we take these medications we encounter huge health consequences," she said. "Weight gain is a huge issue for people on medication because virtually all the psychiatric medications cause weight gain."
Another thing Barker does is share the coping skills that work for her.
"We kind of think of it as a toolkit. You've got your toolkit in the garage and you've got different tools and everyone has their own tools as to what works for them and what doesn't, so what works for me might not work for someone else."
As an example, she said baking is one of her coping skills and she often brings extra goodies to share at the clubhouse or her church. Other activities that work for many people include going out for coffee, taking a walk, working out, journaling or going to the library.
Of critical importance is having a supportive social network.
And the clubhouse provides a space for people to get the support they need to reach their goals.
"It's a place where people can drop in and talk with other people who have a mental illness, learn new skills, there's employment programs and get back to work programs," said Barker.
"It's just a great place for people to feel comfortable, where people aren't going to be shy about their mental illness, that you know, it can be there."
That can be really important when there is still so much misunderstanding and stigmatism about mental illness.
Surrey Clubhouse works on a drop-in basis for people who have been referred to it through their GP, psychiatrist or mental health caseworker.