member stories

I just wanted to take a few moments to write this personal letter to you all and share some things with everyone here at the Austin Clubhouse:
Though it has been years since I was an active member at the Clubhouse, I cannot express easily enough how moving and touching the welcome has been since picking back up with the Clubhouse the last few days.

Before I realized the Austin Clubhouse had gone remote I felt very isolated and had very few people to talk to due to the pandemic and the shut down. I felt irritated, a lot of sadness, and was falling into a bit of depression. It was frustrating to have such a small outlet. Furthermore, my feelings were amplified because I no longer had a choice to leave the house or not due to Covid-19. Because of health issues I had before the pandemic, and then the shut down, I can’t even remember the last time I left the house.

Before I realized the Austin Clubhouse had gone remote I felt very isolated and had very few people to talk to due to the pandemic and the shut down. I felt irritated, a lot of sadness, and was falling into a bit of depression. It was frustrating to have such a small outlet. Furthermore, my feelings were amplified because I no longer had a choice to leave the house or not due to Covid-19. Because of health issues I had before the pandemic, and then the shut down, I can’t even remember the last time I left the house.

Before I realized the Austin Clubhouse had gone remote I felt very isolated and had very few people to talk to due to the pandemic and the shut down. I felt irritated, a lot of sadness, and was falling into a bit of depression. It was frustrating to have such a small outlet. Furthermore, my feelings were amplified because I no longer had a choice to leave the house or not due to Covid-19. Because of health issues I had before the pandemic, and then the shut down, I can’t even remember the last time I left the house.

Life at the Clubhouse changed drastically 3 weeks ago. Today we are living in a time of uncertainty, social distancing and sheltering in place. Thank God I have been able to stay connected to the Clubhouse community virtually and remotely. I still get to participate in the work and work side by side with other members and staff. It seemed strange the first week but we hit the ground running and haven’t looked back. We’ve ramped up our connectivity so that when we can physically return to the Clubhouse we will be stronger than ever.

Hello Austin Clubhouse Members, These are very strange and uncertain times. This is very new to us all, and nobody really knows what to expect.  A lot of you may be riding this out with friends and family, or you might be alone. It's perfectly normal to feel anxious...

Hi, my name is Gene, and I have been a member of Austin Clubhouse for a little over a year. I struggle with anxiety and depression along with being totally blind and hearing impaired. Before the Clubhouse it was hard for me to go anywhere and feel accepted and for people to get to know me….

I have bipolar disorder and anxiety. It took me years to get properly diagnosed and many more years to find the right medication. I have good meds now and am fairly stable. Here at the Austin Clubhouse I’ve found that others have had similar experiences. At my church...

“For a long time I struggled with depression and isolation and had been hospitalized a couple of times. It wasn’t easy at all to deal with this on my own. But then I came to the Austin Clubhouse and they helped me feel like I was worth something. The Clubhouse didn’t treat me like my diagnosis, I was treated as a person….