We work together for mental health
Our organization
Fountain House Stockholm offers psychosocial rehabilitation for people with personal experience of mental illness. We accept people between the ages of 16 and 63 from all over the Stockholm area. We are a non-profit organization that is politically and religiously independent. The operations follow an international model that in Sweden is called the fountain house model.
A well-proven model
For over 75 years, the fountain house model has been developed based on people's needs for recovery from mental illness. The model is evidence-based in the USA. In Sweden, it is recommended in the National Board of Health and Welfare's guidelines for schizophrenia and similar conditions. In 2022, the company Payoff evaluated all Swedish fountain houses with clear positive results:
7
months is the repayment period to society
1 av 3
members have started working again after two years
4 av 5
members feel better after receiving support from a fountain house
several
members believe that the support has been directly life-saving
A new evaluation of Payoff is planned to be carried out in 2025.
Guidelines and quality assurance
Fountain House Stockholm follows the 37 guidelines developed by our umbrella organization Clubhouse International. They serve both as members' rights and as ethical codes for staff, board and administration. The guidelines also form the basis for quality assurance through regular accreditations. A fountain house is accredited for one or three years depending on how well the guidelines are complied with.
Collaboration and influence
Fountain House Stockholm collaborates with various actors in the local community, nationally and internationally. This includes internships, training, sponsorship partnerships and our involvement in networks working for mental health.
Practice
Every year we accept interns, mainly social work students but also students from other education programs.
Networking
Fountain House Stockholm is a member of NSPH - National Collaboration for Mental Health - and participates in collaborations and events.
Partnership
We partner with businesses through sponsorships in the form of services or financial contributions. In return, we offer mental health knowledge, visits to the business, and volunteer opportunities.
Advocacy work
We also work to influence society on mental health issues through various events and our collaboration with Radio Totalnormal. We also host study visits and offer lectures for, for example, students, police and healthcare professionals.
How ours works
rehabilitation model
The Fountain House model is the most comprehensive program in the social psychiatric field. The activities at Fountain House Stockholm emphasize both work and community. We support the individual in all areas of life that are affected by living with mental illness.
Participation and community
At Fountain House Stockholm, we have chosen to call our participants members, instead of “patient” or “client”, to signal the importance of the participants to the operation. It is the members who, together with employed supervisors, carry out all the work that arises in the operation of the operation. All work efforts are equal and each of the members is wanted and needed. Having a place to go, where you feel needed and are part of a community, is an important factor in breaking the isolation that can arise from mental illness. Without the active participation of the members, there would be no Fountain House Stockholm. When members are absent, we contact them via phone call, text message, email or postcard to encourage and support. We keep in touch with those who are out working or studying, and visit those who are hospitalized for care and treatment. Membership has no time limit. Anyone who has become a member is always welcome back, regardless of how long their absence has been.
Recovery on the individual's terms
Members' participation in the activities at Fountain House Stockholm is based on voluntary work. This means that the members themselves decide to what extent they participate in the activities and what they work on. In this way, each individual can adapt their participation and recover at their own pace. As support in this process, each member is offered the opportunity to design a staff plan together with a supervisor. The staff plan is based on each member's individual goals and the support they feel they need. The plan is followed up and updated regularly.
The core of the business
The core of our activities is the work-oriented day, which offers all members meaningful tasks, regardless of ability. Fountain House Stockholm consists of three units: the Study Unit, the Office Unit, and the Kitchen Unit, which have different areas of responsibility in daily operations. The work at the units is structured and planned with the help of daily unit meetings. Members choose tasks based on their interests and abilities, which can range from chopping onions or cleaning toilets to answering phones, writing newsletters, doing cash accounting, or hosting study visits. At our Study Unit, the main focus is on the members' own studies. Here, for example, individual support, a study community, and support in contacting authorities and healthcare providers are offered. The aim is to help members complete their studies.
Social skills and relationships
With us, members are given the opportunity to regain and develop their social skills. Through cooperation and social interaction, self-esteem and self-confidence grow. Through their participation in the activities, members develop collegial relationships as well as friendships with other employees at Fountain House Stockholm. Here, different types of helping relationships can develop that are central to the recovery process.
Development of work skills
Through their participation in the activities, members develop skills that are important for a possible return to the regular labor market. The tasks performed here are exclusively work that arises in the operation of our business. The range of tasks is wide and varied - everything from simple daily routines to advanced tasks and longer projects. Based on their own interests and abilities, each member chooses which unit they want to work in and which tasks they want to perform. There are no prerequisites, and all tasks are open to anyone who wants to learn or just try something new. Members learn to perform the various tasks with the support of other members and employees. We encourage them to try new things and challenge themselves at their own pace.
The role of staff
The staff consists of a number of supervisors and an operations manager. Most of the supervisors are social workers. Great importance is placed on personal suitability. The role of the supervisors is to engage and supervise the members in their daily work. The supervisors can also support members in achieving their individual goals, for example by drawing up a personal employee plan together. Members and employees work side by side. All tasks, spaces, and decision-making meetings are open to both members and supervisors.
Support for work, internships, and studies
Fountain House Stockholm offers personalized support to members who wish to enter the regular job market or internship program, as well as those who want to begin or complete their studies. Our Vägar program is based on the unique relationship between members and employees. Through close collaboration in their daily work, members and supervisors get to know each other deeply. This allows for support to be tailored in a way that is not possible in government-run initiatives. In addition, participants in the Vägar program also support each other by sharing their experiences of work and study and the process they are going through. Members who have moved on to study or work are offered follow-up and support and are invited to meetings where they can exchange experiences and stay in touch with Fountain House Stockholm. As with other aspects of Fountain House's activities, participation in the Vägar ut program is voluntary. There is no requirement to find work or study after a certain period of time; members are allowed to approach the labor market at their own pace. Fountain House Stockholm also collaborates with Mimi Folkhögskola, which offers digital distance learning courses for members at all Fountain Houses in Sweden. With courses such as “Health and Balance,” “Arabic for Beginners,” and “Everyday Budgeting,” the aim is to encourage members to try studying without any pressure to perform. Once a week, there is a digital meeting with a folk high school teacher and the other participants in the course.
The community's healthcare and service system
Fountain House Stockholm strives to promote our members' right to good care and service in society. Members are entitled to support from Fountain House in their contact with the social care and service system, as well as in various matters that may affect their compensation or support measures. Fountain House's role in social and legal matters is primarily to help members get in touch with the right authorities or to maintain existing contacts. In urgent cases, Fountain House employees can act as personal representatives in individual matters.
Health promotion work
Physical health is an important part of our activities. Fountain House Stockholm offers activities and opportunities to help members develop and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Individuals in our target group are often more vulnerable to lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and a shortened life expectancy. During working hours, we offer simple opportunities for everyday exercise, heart-rate-raising training, and meditation. Every week, we have fixed times for walks in the local area, strength training, and gentle mobility exercises for the whole body. These are short sessions that do not require a change of clothes, so that the threshold is as low as possible. In addition to these fixed program items, we offer a range of physical activities after working hours as part of our social program, such as badminton, swimming, and yoga. The Health Forum is a group that meets twice a week to discuss various health issues such as sleep, exercise, diet, and stress. The aim is to learn simple tricks together to change our habits and thus improve our well-being. Once a week, we plan our meals and decide on the menu for the week. We always strive for a balanced diet with a variety of dishes. We also arrange coffee breaks for various occasions, and sometimes we have buns or a sugar-free dessert, such as a smoothie. Our café offers healthy snacks such as fresh fruit, nuts, or date balls.
A social program
After the workday, Fountain House Stockholm encourages members to engage in active and stimulating leisure activities and promotes their participation in social and cultural arenas in the community. Therefore, we offer a social program based on the wishes of the member group. The social program includes a wide range of health-promoting and creative activities that take place a couple of times a week at or outside the Fountain House. These activities are planned and carried out by members and employees together. We also celebrate all holidays (such as Christmas, New Year's Eve, Easter, and Midsummer's Eve) on the day of the respective holiday. Fountain House Stockholm never closes for more than two consecutive days and is open throughout the summer. During the summer months, evening activities are replaced by longer excursions. To encourage members to participate in activities outside the Fountain House, such as theater or sporting events, Fountain House Stockholm covers a significant portion of the ticket cost, which is made possible by funds we actively apply for.
The Fountain House Stockholm Foundation
Fountain House Stockholm is run as a foundation. The foundation has an independent board consisting of seven regular members and four alternates, an auditor, and representatives of members and employees at Fountain House Stockholm.
Fountain houses around the world
There are over 370 fountain houses in more than 30 countries around the world. In Sweden, there are more than 15, and more are on the way. The fountain houses collaborate nationally and internationally through training and conferences. All follow the same guidelines, and quality is ensured through a common system.
Swedish Fountain Association
Every year, Fountain House Stockholm welcomes interns, mainly from social work programs in Stockholm.
Clubhouse Europe
Clubhouse Europe works to promote the fountain house model in Europe, conduct advocacy work at the European level, and strengthen the European fountain house network.
Clubhouse International
We also accept students from other relevant programs for short-term internships and field studies.
Fountain houses through the ages
1948
Fountain House is founded in New York
The very first Fountain House opened in New York in 1948 and was named Fountain House because the property had a backyard with a fountain. Fountain House was born out of the self-help group WANA (We Are Not Alone), which had been formed four years earlier by ten former mental hospital patients and a former mental health nurse from Rockland State Hospital in New York.
The 50s, 60s, and 70s
Outside the borders of the United States
The Fountain House model was developed at Fountain House in the 1950s and 1960s, spreading throughout the country in the 1970s and then beyond the borders of the United States.
1980
The first fountain house in Europe
Fountain House Stockholm opened in 1980 and became the first fountain house in Europe. The initiative to open a fountain house in Sweden came from Lis Asklund, who made a documentary film about Fountain House New York in the late 1970s. After her film Istället för sjukhus: Fountain House (Instead of Hospital: Fountain House) was shown on SVT, Asklund managed to secure funding to open a similar facility in Stockholm.
2025
A strong movement
After 45 years, Fountain House Stockholm is still operating from the same premises at Götgatan 38 in the heart of Södermalm and is a highly regarded fountain house with an excellent reputation in the fountain house world. There are now over 370 operations worldwide. At the Swedish Fountain House Association, several employees work to promote collaboration, quality development, and the opening of more fountain houses. There are now 15 fountain houses in Sweden, and more are in the process of being established.
Press and publications
Brochures
Information brochure
Support for students
Members share their experiences
Press clippings
StoryNews: Support Fountain House – a vital community for recovery
Al Jazeera: Mental illness will affect one in four people around the globe
Video clips
Love, a member story
Anders, a supervisor's perspective
Guidelines
International guidelines for fountain houses