Edmond Life and Leisure - February 27, 2025

Finding acceptance & friends

Oasis Clubhouse makes big difference for those with mental illness

By Rose Drebes

People struggling with mental illnesses can find peace and purpose at the Oasis Clubhouse in Edmond.

The Oasis Clubhouse was founded in October 2024. Executive Director Paige Chamberlain said the force behind starting the organization rose out of a group of people who have loved ones with serious mental illness.

“People with mental illness tend to isolate due to not being ‘socially accepted’ at places such as church, work and in their own families,” she said. “I really can only speak for my situation. My daughter has bi-polar I with psychosis. Despite her beauty, her desire to be socially-involved with friendships, her writing and speaking talents, she tends to isolate due to her mental illness.

“She has experienced rejection, due to her mental illness, with some family members, church people, at work and with some friends. It has been hard for her to finish a college semester and to hold down a job since her diagnosis. Oasis Clubhouse is a place that people diagnosed with a brain disorder can come and be accepted, get involved and have the human interaction we all need.”

Clubhouse International is an organization of more than 360 similar programs worldwide.

“The clubhouse model is designed to empower a sense of purpose and self-worth and assist individuals to regain what they’ve lost due to their illness. The clubhouse model has been proven to increase employment opportunities, reduce incarcerations, improve the physical and mental health of members and reduce hospitalization.

Members re-establish as productive members of society and the community witnesses reduced costs of treating individuals with mental illness. Oasis improves the well-being of individuals diagnosed with mental illness by removing them from isolation, providing community and purpose, Chamberlain said.

Clubhouse membership is open to any adult with a history of mental illness, she said. Fundamentally, having membership in an organization means an individual has both shared ownership and responsibility for success. Being a part of Oasis means to belong and have a welcoming, safe place.

“For a person living with the effects of mental illness, these simple things cannot be taken for granted,” Chamberlain said.

Becoming a member is simple. She said there is a short two-page application online. The only requirement is that you are an adult whose primary diagnosis is a mental illness. Oasis is not a place for the developmentally or intellectually disabled, Chamberlain said.

“Once the application is mailed in, emailed or dropped off, we call the new member and schedule them to come in for an orientation,” she said. “This will allow them to understand what the clubhouse offers as well as how they can utilize it,” she said. There are currently 17 members.

The daily activity of a clubhouse is organized around a structured system known as the work-ordered day, she said. There are no clinical therapies or treatment-oriented programs in the clubhouse. Staff engage members in side-by-side work on a voluntary basis. A person’s level of functioning does not disqualify them from trying something new and all work is accessible to all members.

Members of the Oasis Clubhouse in Edmond are a part of a community and are able to overcome the isolation often is associated with mental illness.

Board members are the guiding force, Chamberlain said. They all have loved ones who struggle with the effects of living with mental illness.

“The board members recognized that a diagnosis of serious mental illness has a devastating effect on the well-being and self when this occurs,” Chamberlain said. “The board saw that there needed to be a place where individuals with mental illness could regain their self-worth -- a place they are welcomed, a place they are needed, a place where they can grow. After learning more about clubhouses, the board formed in late 2022 to open a clubhouse in Oklahoma County."

Sam Hewes, board president, explained, “Due to the efforts of our

amazing board with private donations and the financial help of ODMHSAS and with collaboration with the Edmond Mental Health Advisory Board we were able to hire staff with years of clubhouse experience, rent a super location and fully open.”

Chamberlain said she is seeing much progress in the members.

“Since the beginning, I’ve seen members come in nervous about being at new place and now they take ownership in Oasis,” she said. “I see them teach each other and myself new things and interact in positive ways. Watching members share their talents is exciting as it shows they are comfortable at Oasis.”

Member Bill Bullock said he is doing “beyond good. It has helped me with anxiety and loneliness, and boredom.” For more information, visit clubhouseok.org.