Jill Valiant Horan, MS, Director of Penn Foundation’s Wellspring Clubhouse, Receives Fountain House Executive Leadership Fellowship

Jill Valiant Horan, MS, Director of Penn Foundation’s Wellspring Clubhouse, a vocational rehabilitation program for adults living with mental illness, has received a Fountain House Executive Leadership Fellowship.

Fountain House, located in New York City, was the world’s first clubhouse. It was founded in 1948 by six patients of Rockland State Hospital who wanted to offer each other support and maintain their social community after leaving the hospital. The Fountain House clubhouse model has inspired the creation of hundreds of similar programs in 34 countries throughout the world. Penn Foundation’s Wellspring Clubhouse is based on this model.

“I believe strongly in the clubhouse model, and I am honored to have been selected as an emerging leader in the clubhouse movement,” says Horan. “This Fellowship will allow me to strengthen my skills as Director of Wellspring Clubhouse while also connecting me more closely with clubhouses around the world. My hope is that by participating in the Fellowship program, I am able to help Wellspring Clubhouse become even stronger and to help position it as a leader within the clubhouse community.”

This Fellowship is offered to no more than four Clubhouse Directors worldwide each year. Fellows will integrate state-of-the-art management techniques with the ideals and approaches to social practice originated at Fountain House and practiced in clubhouses throughout the world. Horan will receive training for two-and-a-half weeks at Fountain House and one week at Genesis Club in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Founded in 1994, Penn Foundation’s Wellspring Clubhouse is a voluntary rehabilitation program based on the original “Clubhouse Model” developed by Fountain House in New York City in 1948. The purpose of the Clubhouse is to promote recovery and instill hope among members with mental health and/or co-occurring substance use challenges. The Clubhouse Model features member leadership and involvement in all aspects of the program. Members work side-by-side with staff as colleagues to run the program, to learn or teach skills, and to offer support and resources needed to achieve a satisfying and improved quality of life in the community.