The smell of cakes wafts through the brick-red kitchen of the Clubhouse. This establishment, located in the 19e district of Paris, helps people weakened by a mental disorder – who participate in the good governance of the place – to start life again. Bipolarity, schizophrenia, depression, OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), ADHD (attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity)… Whatever their invisible handicap, all the members present that morning find here a haven of peace and of benevolence.
Olivier, 51, is one of the regulars: “I have been coming for two years”, he confides. The former accountant crosses the kitchen to join the morning meeting, in the large adjoining living space. He listens attentively to Rahima opening the session, then Judith to read one of the thirty-seven rules of life, before the general round table where everyone introduces themselves, says (or not) how they feel, and is about to choose an activity: meal preparation, dishes, standard or CV workshop. Today, Olivier offers his services for reception. Each activity is noted, hour by hour, on the huge whiteboard that covers an entire wall. “Before I find a job, I need a schedule”, we read above. A phrase from Karim, one of the members of the Clubhouse, which reveals the spirit of the place, where both personal and professional goals are pursued.
Olivier is one of the 500 members regularly welcomed at the Parisian Clubhouse against an annual subscription of 20 euros. “This non-medical place differs from many other structures, which often place the sick on one side and the caregivers on the other. Here, everything works in co-management with the six people on the team, horizontally,” explains Elsa Abecassis, Director of Network Development France. The condition for admission: “Be over 18 years old, recognize your pathology and be able to justify therapeutic follow-up by a psychiatrist or psychologist. And above all, want to come »she explains.
Caring climate
Integration takes place after a day of discovery and an observation period of variable duration depending on the person. Olivier has not been in professional activity for several years and benefits from an RQTH (recognition of the quality of disabled worker). If he does not want to go back to work for the moment, for fear of stress, he can spend the equivalent of full time each week at the Clubhouse and is preparing to do an internship at Vivre FM, an associative radio station devoted to disability. . “I’m better since I got more involved here, he assures. The rhythm of the week is well structured and as in the context of a real job, I am tired in the evening, I sleep well. »
The Clubhouse helps meet the challenge of recovery by getting involved in the running of the place, which gives them a sense of purpose. The climate of benevolence also promotes self-esteem. Something to strengthen the social bond and facilitate the return to work or job retention. Another key tool: “pair-aiding, a booming concept in France, which is based on a tandem between two members, so as to develop mutual aid and responsibility. Because taking care of others is taking care of yourself. explains Lucie Caubel, co-founder of the Hello Handicap salon and member of the board of directors of the Clubhouse France Association. Olivier is just trying to motivate his partner for an outing to the Louvre: “It’s interesting, it gives us a goal in the week in addition to the Clubhouse… and it’s free. » Important detail, because many members only receive their invalidity pension.
Established in France since 2010, with Philippe Charrier as founding president (who has just been appointed CEO of Orpea), the Clubhouse Association is based on a model born in New York in 1948, under the impetus of psychiatric patients in get out of the hospital. Three hundred and twenty-six Clubhouses have since been created, three-quarters in the United States and the others in thirty countries. “It was time for them to arrive in France. We had to wait for the 2005 law for equal rights and opportunities, participation and citizenship of people with disabilities, finally recognizing the specificity of mental disabilities, to promote their development,” says Philippa Motte, corporate mental health consultant and lifelong volunteer. The Clubhouse France Association has thus opened places to live in Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, Lille and Nantes, financed in particular by the regional health agencies (ARS), Agefiph, local authorities, private donors and foundations.
Are companies ready to open the door to people with mental disabilities? “It’s not always won, because this type of disability is not well known in France and can be scary, explains Philippa Motte. We are wrongly suspicious of the unpredictability of those affected. In reality, they especially undermine our management culture, which is often based on hypercontrol and verticality. It’s a shame, because companies have everything to gain by recruiting rich profiles, who have done a lot of work on themselves, and by making their employees aware of psychosocial risks, “ she adds.
Job security
Over the course of her assignments, the consultant noted some progress. What’s more, “by making a lot of talk about mental health, the Covid-19 crisis is also starting to move the lines”, observes Philippa Motte. Personally concerned by a disorder, she freed herself from the taboo on psychic problems thanks to the Clubhouse. Since then, she has made illness a strength and a tool for self-knowledge to reorient herself as a consultant, coach and author. For Lucie Caubel, “the professional future law, which came into force in 2020, should change the situation, because it prioritizes the direct employment of people with disabilities, and therefore encourages employers to hire them. Clubhouses are a valuable resource for everyone, individuals and businesses alike,” she notes.
Marie-Aude, 56, can testify to this: after having been a school teacher, resigning because of her bipolarity, she has been a part-time administrative assistant in a parish since 2019. “When I arrived at the Clubhouse in Paris, seven years ago, a treatment had finally stabilized my illness and little by little, the idea of going back to work made its way. When I responded to the ad for my current position, my referent staff prepared me for the job interviews and made sure that everything went well afterwards. »
A fine example of job security. This earned the Clubhouses government recognition, which allows them to benefit from “Innovate for access to employment” impact contracts, announced on March 16. “We need more structures like these, in close connection with the departmental supported employment platforms, in order to ensure equal opportunities and treatment throughout the territory.affirms Sophie Cluzel, Secretary of State in charge of the handicapped people, questioned on March 11th. The government therefore intends to support the development of this model within the framework of national calls for projects, by strengthening existing funding and by the forthcoming creation of five new Clubhouses. »