New York, N.Y. This week I attended one of the most important forums on mental health in New York: The Fountain House symposium and luncheon in the Grand Ballroom of The Pierre that raised over one million dollars for a premier New York City mental health program. The professionals who spoke on ‘The Changing Mind’ captured the attention of more than 500 people who listened for two hours.
Elyn R.Saks, who lives with schizophrenia, wrote The Center Cannot Hold under her own
name as she was tired of hiding her mental illness. Photo: Leslie Barbaro Photography.
Mental illness throughout the world remains stigmatized and this stigma deters people from seeking treatment. Seeing the crème de la crème of high society gathered to support it was inspiring. Almost all families have been impacted by mental illness: obsessive-compulsive behavior, addiction, even psychosis. Estimates are that 25% of America suffers from mental illness. Mental illness including depression, substance abuse, alcoholism, schizophrenia and stress disorders affects 23 million people in the United States each year. The stigma, rejection, and isolation that accompany mental illness are often as damaging and debilitating as the illness itself. From rich to poor, black to white, East Side to West, mental illness does not discriminate.
Fountain House is an extraordinarily beautiful facility, offering social support, educational training, and a safe haven in all aspects that are essential to its members, their families, and society. The Fountain House model has been replicated in more than 400 locations in 30 countries and 32 states and currently serves more than 55,000 people with mental illness worldwide. Institutions become in themselves “families” and it is imperative to have exceptional organizations such as Fountain House – providing a communal environment where training in work-related skills, employment opportunities, workout center, art, film, horticulture and other activities are offered to increase a members’ involvement in life. The more they learn they can do the more their self-esteem grows.
Fountain House offers specific programs to help those recovering from mental illness:
Employment. Employment plays an invaluable role in helping members lead independent and substantial lives. By finding a new career or returning to a previous one, employment aids immeasurably in recovery by reaffirming a person’s sense of purpose, confidence, and capability. In the 1950s, Fountain House created a groundbreaking supported employment model for people living with mental illness. program works with companies throughout the metropolitan area to provide members with entry-level jobs. Fountain House is also recognized as a world leader in the development of social enterprises for people with mental illness. We encourage and support our members in their endeavors to become entrepreneurs and business owners. Through Fountain House’s Employment Program, members have achieved an employment rate of 65%. Nationally, the average employment rate for people with mental illness is 15%.
Panelists Joseph T. Coyle, M.D. and Elyn R. Saks, Emcee Consuelo Mack, panelist
Brian M. D’Onofrio, Ph.D., at the luncheon. Photo: Leslie Barbaro Photography.
Education. Fountain House’s Education Program is the largest and most successful supported education program in the United States for people living with mental illness. It supports the full spectrum of members’ educational aspirations, from learning to read to obtaining a graduate degree. Fountain House is challenging and transforming the accepted wisdom of what is educationally possible for people with serious mental illness.
Through its Scholarship Program, Fountain House offers modest grants to members who are enrolled in school or taking classes to advance their careers. Often the opportunity for a scholarship is the catalyst for someone to pursue training, or certification, or a degree. An incredible 77% of participants in the Fountain House Education Program successfully complete their studies compared to the national average of 32% for students with mental illness.
Wellness. The newly renovated Peter B. Lewis and Adam Lewis Wellness Center opened in October 2011 and now serves as the hub of Fountain House’s health and wellness activities. The Wellness Program’s mission is to create a health-conscious culture at Fountain House and to introduce a broad array of health practices into the life of the community. There is an ambitious schedule of activities including health awareness workshops, exercise classes, courses in nutrition, cooking classes, and a Community Supported Kitchen where members can prepare healthy meals together.
Housing. Fountain House is one of the largest providers of housing for people with mental illness in the state of New York. The Housing Program allows people to establish a safe space for their recovery while helping them to develop independent living skills, maintain a residence, and build a strong foundation from which they can achieve their life goals.
Training and Expansion. Fountain House has inspired the creation of hundreds of recovery and rehabilitation programs around the world. Fountain House is the founder of the International Center for Clubhouse Development (ICCD), which promotes the start-up, development, and strengthening of Clubhouses; oversees the creation and evolution of standards; and facilitates and ensures the quality of training, consultation, and certification.
Fountain Gallery. Fountain Gallery is the premier venue in New York City representing artists with mental illness. Founded by Fountain House in 2000 as a not-for-profit exhibition space for its member-artists living and working with mental illness, the Gallery sells original artworks and collaborates with a wide network of artists, curators and cultural institutions. Embracing artists who are emerging or established, trained or self-taught, Fountain Gallery cultivates artistic growth and makes a vital contribution to the New York arts community. Fountain Gallery was recently awarded a multi-year grant from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in recognition of its contribution to the city’s cultural life.
In the words of Robert Cancro, M.D. Chairman Emeritus of NYU Langone’s Department of Psychiatry who serves on Fountain House's Medical Advisory Board:
According to the World Health Organization, four out of five leading causes of disability days in the U.S. are psychiatric in nature: schizophrenia, alcoholism, substance abuse and depression. The fifth cause is AIDS, which receives more funding than the other four combined. Clearly, mental illness is underserved and under-recognized and is fast becoming a public health crisis.
Top employment program company participants in New York City include American Express Publishing, Baker & McKenzie, Cravath Swaine & Moore, Dow Jones & Company, The Estée Lauder Companies, Fox Television, Kaye Scholer, Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel, Morgan Stanley, Natural Resources Defense Council, New York Life, and Warner Music Group.
As Lorraine Cancro, MSW, Director of the Global Stress Initiative, explained to me:
I have been a committee member/advisor to Fountain House for over six years now and am a firm believer in the Fountain House model. It raises its members’ self-esteem by giving them a community where they are not judged but encouraged to pursue their strengths and build bonds with people who can understand and empathize with their day to day struggles. Truly, Fountain House offers its members hope, dignity and a sense of belonging which changes lives for the better.
My own family has had members fighting bouts of mental illness – including depression and addiction. Estimates are that 25% of America suffers from mental illness show us that we are not alone. Fountain House helps combat the stigma that all families face when coping with this often-hidden illness. I am thankful to Foundation House for taking a global lead in helping people move forward with their lives – and allowing them to do so with dignity and respect.
Special thanks to Lorraine Cancro, MSW, Director of the Global Stress Initiative, and Robert Cancro, M.D., Med. D.Sc., Professor and Chairman Emeritus of Psychiatry at N.Y.U. Langone Medical Center, who advise both Fountain House and The James Jay Dudley Luce Foundation. Thanks to Rafael Burgos and Daniel Santana for technical assistance
See Stories by Jim Luce on:
Youth and Neuroplasticity Tackled at Fountain House (Huffington Post)
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