Clubhouse Member's Experiences of Being in Recovery in Light of Salutogenesis

Mental illness is the leading cause of years lived with disability and a wide range of socioeconomic problems globally and in Norway. Addressing the challenges caused by mental illness, the Clubhouse programme offers lifelong membership as a voluntary participant in a working community for people with a history of mental illness. 

Despite its long history, there are several knowledge gaps regarding the Clubhouse programme. According to the literature, a comprehensive theoretical framework is lacking. There is little evidence of the active ingredients of the recovery process in the Clubhouse programme. 

Likewise, there is little knowledge on how individuals with mental illness experience being a member, and recovery in the Clubhouse programme, in a Norwegian context. Thus, the main aim of this PhD project was to explore and develop a theoretical and empirical understanding of the usefulness of the Clubhouse programme.