What We Do
We connect artists and other individuals with serious mental illness to community, services & space to create.
Become a Westchester Clubhouse Member
Becoming a member of WCA gives individuals with serious mental illness an active role in a supportive, intentional community rather than a traditional medical setting. Members work alongside staff to run daily operations, helping to rebuild self-esteem, secure employment, find affordable housing, and access critical health and education resources.
Who is eligible to become a WCA member?
To be eligible for membership at WCA an applicant must:
- Be interested in attending WCA, as membership is voluntary
- Experience serious mental illness
- Not pose a threat to our community
- Be at least 18 years of age
What documents will you need to apply?
To be considered for membership, the following documents must be submitted:
- A WCA Membership Application (opens in a new tab)
- A completed psychiatric attestation form, found in our online portal, signed by a licensed LCSW, NPP, PSYD, MD, PA, LMHC, or LMSW (cosigned by supervising licensed professional)
- We strongly encourage the inclusion of supporting psychiatric and psychosocial evaluations to further facilitate our membership review process.
- Copies of all Health Insurance cards (please note however, membership is free of charge)
Looking for virtual programs? You can also apply to Fountain House for access to its virtual clubhouse experiences. Apply to Fountain House (Fountain House application portal, opens in a new tab)
Why are Westchester Clubhouse clients referred to as members?
Westchester clubhouses use the term “member” instead of “patient” or “client” to emphasize community, agency, and inclusion. By being members, individuals with serious mental illness become active decision-makers in their own recovery and the daily operations of the clubhouse, breaking the traditional hierarchy of psychiatric care.
The Clubhouse
A clubhouse is a community-based location designed to support the recovery of people living with serious mental illness (SMI). Each clubhouse provides a restorative environment for people whose lives have been severely disrupted because of their mental illness. The concept of a clubhouse — which was pioneered by Fountain House in the 1940s — starts with the idea that “community is therapy.”
In each clubhouse, an intentional community is created, where members and staff work together, side-by-side, to carry out all daily operations of the clubhouse. Members are also given access to crisis intervention services when needed and are connected with resources to support their basic needs, including support with employment, relationship building, education, housing, and daily meals.
Employment
For more than 75 years, Fountain House has supported people living with serious mental illness through a community-based model that helps members build skills, confidence and independence.
Central to our impact is our belief in the power of work. Since our inception, work has been the cornerstone of Fountain House’s programming. Fountain House works with employers through two primary employment models designed to meet both member and business needs.
When you partner with Fountain House, you’re not only choosing to hire a hardworking individual but supporting people living with mental illness to achieve their employment goals and find greater economic independence.
Relationship Building
Assisting members in developing a variety of social relationships and community connections. Mental illness often leaves many individuals without social connections or close friends, and difficulties in navigating or maintaining different types of relationships. Factors like fear or distrust along with a limited social skillset could lead to continued isolation. The focus on relationship development directly combats isolation and loneliness by providing the opportunity to cultivate social networks. These can include transformative interpersonal connections such as friends and family, collegial, and societal relationships.
Education
We connect members with local colleges and universities and provide in-house classes, taught by both staff and members, in order to prepare members for further education.
At WCA, people with serious mental illness are given access to a robust supported education program, making it possible to return to or advance their college studies, regardless of their previous education, illness, or disability. They’re given access to an education unit, where they can sit down with a team of members and staff to go over their education goals and come up with an action plan. Assistance might include support with researching potential programs, applying for school and financial aid, accessing their Office of Accessibility, or receiving coaching and encouragement throughout their semester.
Health and Wellness
The WCA Wellness Program focuses on bridging the gap between mental and physical health. Because individuals with serious mental illness face significantly higher rates of chronic physical conditions, this programming directly counters adverse health trends through member-led physical, nutritional, and medical support.
Program Pillars & Daily Activities
The program functions through a collaborative, hands-on environment where members work together to run the following initiatives:
- The In-House Gym & Fitness Classes: Members have access to an on-site gym offering personal training and multiple weekly classes including yoga, aerobics, and strength training.
- Nutritional Services & The Healthy Bar: Program participants run the “Berry Xcellent Café,” a health bar serving nutritious, homemade soups, salads, and fresh beverages while teaching culinary skills.
- Medical & Psychiatric Coordination: Staff and members coordinate access to local clinics, helping participants manage primary healthcare, psychiatric appointments, and preventative screenings.
- Health Education Workshops: Regular group sessions focus on chronic disease management (such as diabetes and cardiovascular health), smoking cessation, and stress-reduction techniques.
Proven Health Impacts
By embedding health initiatives into the daily social routine, WCA provides measurable improvements for its participants:
- 21% reduction in total Medicaid spending for enrolled members.
- Significant drop in preventable medical hospitalizations and emergency room visits.
- Improved self-management of long-term physical and psychiatric symptoms.
Farm and Garden
We are a nature-loving team that engages in farming and horticulture in an authentically rural setting. We believe that communing with nature has therapeutic and spiritual value.
In that spirit, we are working to acquire 44 acres of untouched land.
For Senior Members
We support our members as they age! WCA keeps our members supported and connected as they age, to address the ongoing concerns of isolation, physical illness and decline, inadequate housing, food insecurity, and poverty.
Virtual Access
WCA offers a virtual clubhouse that allows members to connect and access services online, in person, or through a hybrid approach. Its virtual programming, hosted largely on Zoom, includes digital literacy training, wellness groups, and social activities to help reduce isolation.
Westchester Clubhouse Gallery
WCA Gallery sells original artworks and collaborates with a wide network of artists, curators and cultural institutions. It is a collaborative workspace that furthers the professional practice of our artists. Embracing artists who are emerging or established, trained or self-taught, WCA Gallery cultivates artistic growth, makes a vital contribution to the clubhouse arts community, and challenges the stigma surrounding mental illness. It provides member-artists with the resources, training, inspiration, and support they need to succeed in the highly competitive art world. Full-time access to the studio, where free art supplies are available, assists these artists in moving to a new level of creativity, expanding their marketable portfolios, and advancing their efforts to achieve broader name recognition and commercial success. At WCA’s studio, artists living with mental illness work side by side with others in a collaborative setting that reduces isolation and fosters a supportive community.
Housing
WCA provides members with assistance in finding housing. We believe that quality housing is an essential part of recovery. Without it, whole-hearted participation in our community is nearly impossible. While we are not a direct housing provider, we help members navigate the housing system, apply for subsidies (like supportive housing), and access critical resources.
Westchester Clubhouse
The WCA is developing a multi-property, combination urban and rural campus that will serve all qualified people with SMI in Westchester, but especially those with an artistic bent. Our size and property diversity give us flexibility, dynamism and depth.
Clubhouse Events
