The therapeutic club: social rehabilitation of psychiatric patients.

In Israel, where there exists a highly developed network of vocational rehabilitation services for discharged psychiatric patients, there are few organized programs of social rehabilitation. Accordingly, two years Shalvata Psychiatric Center, a medium-sized psychiatric hospital near Tel Aviv, opened a therapeutic social club in its satellite community clinic in the town of Raanana. The authors describe the establishment of the club and various critical facets of the on-going club experience. The club program appears to fulfill a variety of highly important therapeutic needs, and its positive results conform with those reported elsewhere. Among the rehabilitation benefits which can be attributed to such therapeutic clubs are: (1) a rich source of social stimulation, (2) the opportunity to help members improve their repertoire of social skills, (3) the separation of members from their overburdened families several evenings each week, (4) crisis intervention possibilities, and (5) continuous aftercare contact between professional mental health workers and a high risk population. One important result may be the reduction of the re-hospitalization rate among former patients who participate in the club.