Fountain House

Book excerpt: Since 1948, people suffering from mental health issues, mental health professionals, and committed volunteers have gathered at Fountain House in New York City to find relief from stigmatization and social alienation. Its “working community” approach has earned the organization vast critical recognition, enabling it to replicate its methods across the world. This volume describes the humanity, social inclusivity, personal empowerment, and perpetual innovation of the Fountain House approach. Evidence-based, cost-effective, and transferable, this model achieves crosscultural results by supporting the principles of personal choice, professional and patient collaboration, and the need to be needed, achieving substantive outcomes in employment, schooling, housing, and general wellness.