The Social Practices of Mattering: A Qualitative and Observational Study of Clubhouses

This study explores social practices of mattering within Clubhouses (CHs). The CH model is a more community and recovery-oriented way of approaching mental health challenges (MHC), compared to traditional services. This qualitative study is based on 40 participant observations at three CHs in Norway. Theories on social practices, mattering, and recovery are utilized as frameworks employed in a reflexive thematic analysis. The findings show that social practices can be broken down into elements of micro-affirmation, fairness in actions, and co-creation. Together, these elements facilitate the experience of mattering, essential for members’ recovery. Incorporating a social practice perspective of mattering contributes to the mattering literature, and deepens understanding of how mattering emerges through social practices and facilitates recovery. The findings also illustrate the difficulty of supporting a sense of mattering of highly educated members in small and medium-sized CHs. Identifying elements of CHs’ social practices can yield practical implications for people with MHC, the CH movement, other community-focused recovery approaches, the public health care system, politicians and decision-makers, and those concerned with sustainable welfare development.