Laurel House provides mental health resources to people coping with mental illness, and their families, across numerous communities in and around Connecticut. Resources to Recover is a robust array of integrated services and expertise geared towards helping people along the path of mental health recovery. Although more than 80% of our program participants are living with a diagnosis of schizophren
ia, bipolar disorder or major depression, we believe and research supports that people can and do recover from the worst effects of serious mental illness. A young adult diagnosed with a serious mental illness will experience symptoms that can lead to unemployment, disrupted education, homelessness, loss of social ties and a lifelong reliance on medication. Serious mental illness can result in higher rates of suicide, drug and alcohol abuse, obesity, diabetes, and nicotine addiction. It can also result in a profound loss of self-esteem, apathy and despair. Laurel House provides Resources to Recover through supportive services and programs including recovery planning, life skills coaching and skill building, education, employment, housing and residential services, food service and wellness, social opportunities, and active reach out to individuals who might otherwise be isolated. Early Intervention and Remediation - helping families connect with the right services to prevent the harmful secondary effects of mental illness.
2. Social Inclusion - reintegration and full participation for program participants in their local communities.
3. Recovery - adjustment and adaptation to mental illness for those affected to gain independence and achieve their life aspirations. At Laurel House, mental health recovery goals are achieved through the provision of a comprehensive array of services and programs:
The Resource Center - an enhanced psychosocial rehabilitation program, focused on recovery planning, skill building, counseling, advocacy and mutual support. Life Skills - transfer of specific life skills and training in activities of daily living such as personal finance, computer literacy and related technology applications, transportation, entitlements, shopping and food preparation, self care, social skills and personal hygiene provided through The Resource Center and through Residential Services. Supported and Independent Employment - providing people with a range of services to help them look for, find and keep jobs in a career of their choosing in integrated work settings, at fair-market wages. Supported Education - community-based placement assistance, identifying appropriate course selection and university/college, applying for and securing financial assistance, tutoring and career and educational counseling to help people enroll and succeed in college or other post secondary education. Residential Services and Housing - a quality supportive housing program designed to end homelessness by helping people locate and maintain safe, affordable, stable housing. The Wellness Initiative - direct assistance and counseling to help people physically compromised by mental illness to improve self-care, lose weight, make healthy eating choices, quit smoking, exercise, and develop healthier lifestyles as a part of their path to improved mental health. Reach Out and Social Programming - promoting community integration through assertive reach out, the enhancement of natural support networks, and linking of people with mental illness to social and recreational opportunities in their communities. Treasure Hunters Thrift Store- creating opportunities for Lauren House program participants to interact with volunteers and the general public in an educational retail setting providing affordable goods to the community. Laurel House Artists and Writers - art classes, writing workshops and opportunities to participate in showings/sales of artwork and publishing of poetry or prose; promoting the self-expression, social integration and employment of people with mental illness in the field of visual arts and creative writing. Bistro, Commercial Kitchen & Dining Room - a fully licensed food service establishment providing program participants and guests with nutritious, low cost meals and hands-on training in the culinary arts, under the supervision of a certified chef.
