The clubhouse is a gateway for those dealing with mental health issues — a gateway from darkness to light. Here, members get job training, tasks to perform or someone simply to talk to.
Nothing essentially separates staff from members here, and that’s the point. Most of the time, those recovering from mental health challenges don’t appear distinctive in any way. They are neighbors, co-workers and friends — utterly unremarkable.
Cooksey worked in patient psychology in public hospitals before coming to Ohio. She has worked in home-based family therapy, school-based counseling, outpatient mental health and social work, with teens and adults. Her career has centered on helping patients return to independent living.
She joined GESMV in 2013. The clubhouse has existed for some time, but the building at 243 Warren St. opened this summer. Walk in, and the feel is instantly comfortable. That’s no accident.
“Now they’re at a better place, moving to recovery and giving their lives back,” Cooksey said of members. “It’s nice to see how much better people get.”
Cooksey, 45, shared that and more for Three Questions. This is edited and condensed.
Q: Who are the people who come to the clubhouse? Who are your customers, so to speak?
Cooksey: "It's a range. Some people are further in their recovery than others. Some people may still revolve into the hospital once in a while. And then there are people who haven't been in a hospital for years. …
“There are people saying, ‘You know, maybe my mental health isn’t negatively impacting me as it used to. Now maybe I can work. Now maybe I can go back to school.’ And so we help facilitate those processes.”
Q: What do you see as the misconceptions about people wrestling with mental health challenges?
Cooksey: "The misconception that people with mental illnesses are more dangerous than the general population — which isn't true. In fact, the statistics show they are more likely to be victims than perpetrators of violence. That's one thing I would want people to know.
“They’re your family. We’re all recovering from something. We’ve all had losses. We should all be able to relate to recovery and overcoming the challenges we face.
“I don’t think a lot of people realize recovery exists. They think a lot of people with severe and persistent illness, I mean, the old solution was to lock them away in the asylums. That became the state hospitals. Now they end up homeless and in jail. People see that, and they think that’s the plight of people with mental illness. That’s true of some people with mental illness, but they don’t know that recovery happens. Treatment works, and recovery is possible.
“These are people who are working and contributing to society on lots of different levels.”
Q: You've had almost 25 years in what it's fair to say is not an easy field. What keeps you coming back?
Cooksey: "When I applied to social work school, we had to write an essay to get in. At the top of the essay, I wrote a quote from Patti Smith. It was,'Those who have suffered understand suffering and thereby extend their hand.' My dad had Patti Smith albums, and that stuck in my mind. That's why I'm a helper.
“And that totally fits with the clubhouse. We can all relate to what the members do for each other here. They fend through stuff, and they want to help their fellow members. That’s what drives me every day — that same idea. I struggled with depression in my teenage years. That made me want to be a helper — to help realize that it gets better. You can recover.”
Know someone who can handle Three Questions? We're looking for behind-the-scenes-but-still fascinating Miami Valley residents with something to say. Send your suggestions to tom.gnau@coxinc.com.
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