Staff and member perceptions of the clubhouse environment

Several studies have been conducted about Clubhouse operations and the users of Clubhouses (i.e., members); however none have sought to weigh the importance of both staff and member perceptions of the Clubhouse environment. A measure assessing the program climate as well as service components was administered to both members and staff across a representative sample of Clubhouses. In addition, level of program fidelity was included to examine differences between high and low fidelity clubhouses and ratings of the program environment. Two overarching questions were explored in this study: (1) to what extent do staff and members share common perceptions of the Clubhouse environment, and (2) is fidelity to the Clubhouse model relevant to rating of the program environment? Members and staff were concordant on 68% of the environmental assessments. Across all program environment domains, staff ratings of the clubhouse environment were higher than those of clubhouse members. Staff endorsed items reflecting the philosophy of the psychosocial program whereas consumers perceived the environment in terms of the actual services or lived experiences. Members of relatively high fidelity Clubhouses rated the program environment higher on five dimensions.