Our history
Our story starts with Elly Jansen OBE (pictured), a pioneer of non-hospital Therapeutic Communities.
Elly was born in Holland in 1929, the sixth of nine children. ​Growing up during Nazi occupation and on the front line between German and Allied armies, she witnessed firsthand the impact of trauma and isolation from a young age.
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After moving to England in 1955, initially to train as a missionary, Elly recognised the need for support for people recently discharged from mental hospitals to adjust to daily life.​
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Using the £100 she had from her theological studies, Elly rented a house in Richmond, where those in need could find community support. After placing a notice in a local hospital, she waited nine weeks for her first applicant, marking the beginning of her first therapeutic community.
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​Its success led Elly to establish the Richmond Fellowship, through which she promoted the reintegration of mental health patients into mainstream society. As the noted psychiatrist R.D. Laing once said, "She brought love into mental healthcare."
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Under her leadership, Richmond Fellowship grew to include over 50 houses in Britain. Eventually, it extended its reach internationally, with therapeutic communities now scattered across Australia, New Zealand, India, and the United States.
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In 1980, Elly was appointed an OBE in recognition of her contribution. She also went on to found many charitable organisations, including the "Fellowship Foundation," which later became known as Community Housing and Therapy (CHT). ​
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"Therapeutic Communities (TCs) are structured, psychologically informed environments – they are places where the social relationships, structure of the day and different activities together are all deliberately designed to help people's health and well-being."
The Consortium of Therapeutic Communities
​​​​​Since then, we have supported over 2,000 people through our seven therapeutic recovery communities. One is Richmond House, which is once again a therapeutic recovery community, 63 years after Elly started her first one there. ​​​
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Like Elly Jansen, we believe in people's ability to recover from whatever life experiences led them to be diagnosed with mental illness.
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By providing a psychotherapeutic alternative to hospital care or a step-down option, where individual residents can develop their recovery journeys within a supportive community of peers, we support people to work through trauma, develop feelings of safety, and explore pathways to fulfilling lives.​
Today, our focus extends beyond mental illness, encouraging residents to pursue education, employment, family connections, and social inclusion.
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We are also part of a global community of organisations, including The Consortium of Therapeutic Communities, the International Network of Therapeutic Communities (INDTC), and the Relational Practice Movement, which promote psychodynamic and relational practice and campaign for change.
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​We are also honoured to host the Elly Jansen Award, funded by Elly herself, which celebrates new research and recognises inspiring writing that explores creative approaches to therapeutic communities and relational practices.
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Thirty years later, we are clearer than ever about the role we play in the lives of the people living with severe and complex mental health conditions and the difference we make on an individual, community and economic level.
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