Our Program


Side by Side follows the Clubhouse model of rehabilitation. This model was developed in the 1940s by and for people with mental illness to help them support each other, find and keep jobs, and to live out in their communities instead of institutions. In the 1980s the first Clubhouses for people with brain injuries opened. Today there are 25+ ABI Clubhouses in the world that belong to the International Brain Injury Clubhouse Alliance. We follow a set of standards adapted from the International Center for Clubhouse Development  that ensures member involvement in every aspect of the organization. Members partner with staff to run their Clubhouse while giving and getting the support they need to live their lives to the fullest.

Members join Side by Side to have a place where they can be themselves and be understood and valued for who they are TODAY. Some members join the Clubhouse to get support for returning to paid or volunteer work after their brain injury and then return for support in other areas of their lives. Others want a place to come for friendship and to offer their skills and talents to a community. Sometimes members and their families simply need a break from being together all the time and look to Side by Side for a safe place to be active, productive, and then go home feeling tired and satisfied you’ve done something good that day. Once a Clubhouse member, always a Clubhouse member. In fact, the very first Clubhouse standard is: Membership is voluntary and without time limits.

Side by Side follows a workday schedule, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Members volunteer to help out in work units: Business, Kitchen or Maintenance that do everything it takes to keep the Clubhouse running for its members. In addition to the workday jobs, members and staff collaborate to develop, follow and update a plan for each person that also may include:

  • Employment services
  • Advocacy assistance
  • Service coordination
  • Psychological adjustment counseling
  • Independent living skills support
  • Social events
  • Family and caregiver education 

Learn more about a typical day at the Clubhouse.

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Testimonials

  • Just had to send you a note for sending Colleen our way. We have never had anybody as conscientious and dedicated to her work as Colleen. She is always on time and goes out of her way to accommodate others in the Office. Thanks for sending Colleen and the wonderful work done at Side By Side.


    Candler Broom, CEO, Austin Brown Inc.

  • The Clubhouse is a treasured and unusual resource.  It provides experiences that I, as a professional, cannot.  Working as part of a community, a person learns to value others, to value him or herself.  The Clubhouse provides a safe and respectful space in which patients become people again.


    Dr. M. Rusin, psychologist serving brain injured clients

  • As regards staff and volunteers the Clubhouse offers a terrific opportunity for meaningful service to our fellow man. Families and society are well served when a member who was providing meaningful contributions to his family before his accident or set-back is re-empowered and regains his self worth.


    Irvine, Clubhouse volunteer

  • The Clubhouse produces winners on all sides. Those who provide service and those who receive service benefit from the Clubhouse. It provides a positive environment where every member is treated as an individual and where the member is invested in the therapy offered to get that member sufficiently functional for him to re-enter society as a functioning individual.


    Irvine, Clubhouse volunteer

  • Side By Side means so much to me and my family.  As the wife of a member, I am so thankful for the role Side By Side plays in my husband’s continued growing and adapting to life with a brain injury.  As a volunteer, my family is rewarded ten fold every time we do something for the clubhouse in smiles alone!


    Laurie, wife of Clubhouse member

  • Side by Side Brain Injury Clubhouse is a true gem within the field of rehabilitation and community support for adults with traumatic or acquired brain injury. Side by Side helps members regain their sense of self and move forward to become productive and contributing members of society, with the support, love and care of the other members, staff and volunteers, family members, and even the community.


    Dr. D. Berens, rehabilitation consultant

  • The Clubhouse has been a wonderful place for her to re-learn socialization skills that were lost due to her traumatic brain injury. The Clubhouse has been a lifesaver for my daughter.


    Mother of a Clubhouse member

  • My husband began attending Side by Side 1½ years ago, and after a long nine year journey with brain injury, Side by Side was a breath of fresh air. When he is helped, it benefits our whole family.

     

     


    Wife of a Clubhouse member

  • I found a place where I can belong. It means a lot to me to have friends, comrades who have been through similar experiences.

     

     


    Richie, Clubhouse member

  • The members and staff are steadfast support to me and I feel great on a day when I have accomplished my goals.


    Frank, Clubhouse member