Jerry and Ben went into this training focused on specific areas in which we would like to improve. For example, a resounding matter for us is our early morning and late afternoon attendance. As one part of their Action Plan, they suggested adopting Fountain House’s practice of serving a daily hot breakfast (we already serve a hot buffet in place on Fridays and it’s no coincidence that it’s often our highest attendance of the week). This is just one example of how this type of training helps us to grow.Flashing forward to this week, Fountain House colleagues Micaiah King and Delaina Peek visited us as a follow-up to that training last fall. They checked in on our Action Plan to see where we have successfully implemented new strategies and where we might seek more coaching. They celebrated our accomplishments, rolled up their sleeves in our teams (and took away some new ideas to bring home to Fountain House), and presented a dynamic presentation on the role of a social practitioner (a title and concept that they coined and developed). It was educational, inspirational, and a whole lotta fun hosting them in our community! It’s a gift to collaborate with those who share our passion for recovery and the belief in the power of community and productivity. 

Kion provided us with a digital media calendar that we can use to forecast our posts well in advance and stay up to date with events. He helped us to shape our posts for the specific audience we reach, and to ask ourselves “in what way do we want this post to move our audience?” We discussed everything from the role of influencers and mental health allies to the timing of posts, content size, visual impact, and more.

Big thanks to Clubhouse International, Fountain House, and to Kion for giving us a jump start on our digital presence. It’s no secret that we love what we do here but getting the word out past our county line can be a challenge. A consistent, strong, positive message in the right ear could change a life.

Fountain House is the original Clubhouse program in mental health, founded in 1948, and often referred to as the “mothership.”  Fountain House is growing a national presence, and building its associated national network, beginning initially in nine states, and working together to advance direct service supports, test and scale innovations, and drive joint policy and advocacy for people living with serious mental illness everywhere.

The kick-off meeting of the Fountain House steering committee, earlier this month, gathered the nine Clubhouses on Zoom and solidified a plan of action. Even on Zoom, the energy was palpable! If you don’t already know this, Clubhouse folk are doers, and while this endeavor is vast, everyone on the call was ready to get to work. The Academy feels privileged to be a part of this, and we look forward to working with Fountain House, San Antonio Clubhouse, Venture House, Community 43, Hero House NW, Magnolia House, Fresh Start, and Putnam Clubhouse.