Creative virtual engagement: Successes and challenges supporting people with serious mental illness in hybrid Clubhouse environments.

Abstract

This study examines adaptations, successes, and persistent challenges engaging members in virtual or hybrid community-based psychosocial rehabilitation centers called Clubhouses. Fifteen members and staff from five Clubhouses across two Hawaiian Islands participated in a virtual Photovoice process. Results illustrated several unexpected positive outcomes from the transition to hybrid or virtual formats including opportunities for growth, learning new technology, cross-Clubhouse collaborations, deepened relationships, and better access to some hard-to-reach members. Persistent challenges included members reporting "something missing" in the socioemotional quality of virtual engagement and losing members who had low digital literacy or who preferred in-person engagement. Overall, participants described that virtual Clubhouse supported their wellness by fostering a sense of purpose, companionship, and potential, despite sustained uncertainty from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, they also made clear that virtual and hybrid formats should be a complement to, not a replacement for, in-person Clubhouse services. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).