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Sense of Community in Clubhouse Programs: Member and Staff Concepts
Author(s) -
Herman Sandra E.,
Onaga Esther,
Pernice-Duca Francesca,
Oh SuMin,
Ferguson Catherine
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
american journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.113
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1573-2770
pISSN - 0091-0562
DOI - 10.1007/s10464-005-8630-2
Subject(s) - sense of community , task (project management) , psychosocial , psychology , health psychology , rehabilitation , relation (database) , public relations , social psychology , nursing , medicine , psychotherapist , public health , management , computer science , political science , database , neuroscience , economics
Psychological sense of community within psychosocial rehabilitation clubhouse programs was examined using concept mapping with 18 members and 18 staff from 10 programs. Members identified four concepts: Recovery, social connections, membership, and tasks and roles. Members described hope and healing as aspects of recovery. Members' views on sense of community focused on the rehabilitation and social nature of the program. Staff also identified four concepts: Affiliation and support for members, shared experiences, clubhouse organization, and task and roles. The staff concept of clubhouse organization, which incorporated the ideas of leadership and organization of physical space and the concept of task and roles, was based on ideas of shared responsibility and clubhouse procedures. Staffs' views on sense of community strongly reflected their formal training in clubhouse principles. The relation of these concepts to McMillan and Chavis' theoretical framework for sense of community is discussed and recommendations for practice provided.