The Transitional Employment program offered through the Clubhouse is founded on the principle that mentally ill people are no different from anyone else regarding the right to work. At the WCH, we take for granted that if a mentally ill person wants to work, then they should work. And so the Wallingford Clubhouse offers job placement services that move the member from employment which is temporary and assisted to permanent and independent work. The ICCD “Standards of Employment” (www.iccd.org)states the basic criterion for job placementt — “[the] desire to work is the single most important factor determining placement availability… Placement opportunities will continue to be available regardless of success or failure in previous placements.”

     To meet the goal of moving clubhouse members from transitional to independent employment, the Wallingford Clubhouse provides three different levels for job placement.
     First, the Clubhouse offers TE or Transitional Employment in which the member is trained and assisted by staff from the first to last day of employment. The term of employment is temporary and lasts only 6 months—enough time in which to adapt to the demands of the workplace and earn a sense of accomplishment.

     Second, there is SE, Supported Employment in which a member is given part-time, permanent employment and in which the needs of the member are balanced with the needs of the employer. Being a permanent position, the Clubhouse member is assisted by staff but is ultimately required to shoulder job responsibilities and to cope with pressures using their own resourcefulness.

     Finally, the goal of all these is IE or Independent Employment in which Clubhouse staff assist with resume building, job search, and references, but do not provide any mediation between the employee and the employer. Once a clubhouse member has achieved independent employment, they are considered rehabilitated.

     Paid employment impacts members' SSI/SSDI benefits and so the Clubhouse makes sure that the working member receives planning and assistance to meet these changes.

-- by David LaMay