A New Home for Long-Established Drop-In Center Oasis

4 min read

“Something that provides refuge, relief, or pleasant contrast,” is how Merriam-Webster defines oasis. And for many years, that is what Oasis Wellness & Recovery Center has provided people who are living with mental health issues.

Previously located near the Pawtucket line, Oasis now has a new home in The Providence Center, a Care New England facility located at 528 North Main Street. And today’s location offers more than fresh surroundings, according to Oasis leaders who recently spoke with Ocean State Stories on a Zoom call from inside the center.

“An advantage of being here is Providence Center staff can introduce people to Oasis,” said leader Charles Feldman, who is in recovery from schizophrenia. “So we’re getting new people participating in some of our programs. Also, some of the peers who are already here have their groups, like communication skills, life skills and a coloring group, which is really popular. Plus, Jim and I do a whole bunch of groups, too.”

Jim is James McNulty, who lives with bipolar disorder and is a national authority on mental illness and another long-time Oasis leader. During the Zoom call, he recounted some of the financial difficulties that state policies years ago imposed on Oasis – and expressed his pleasure with joining The Providence Center.

“New staff has been hired to help out because we’d been carrying things for a long time and we needed to develop new talent,” McNulty said. “We’ve got a couple of people who are really, really fantastic who have joined. Sometimes it’s hard to tell where Oasis staff starts and where Providence Center peer staff starts and ends, because there is a lot of overlap.

“And that’s a great thing. We’ve learned a lot from them. I hope they’ve learned something from us. And I think that was the intent.”

Linda Dewey, The Providence Center’s Vice President of Clinical Services, shares McNulty’s and Feldman’s enthusiasm for the new Oasis, which offers not only drop-in support but also sponsors Zoom calls.

“When you walk in, there’s artwork, there’s a group running, there’s a table with supplies,” Dewey told Ocean State Stories. “It’s a welcoming atmosphere where people that are joining, whether it be a group or a Zoom, are feeling that this is where they fit and belong. It’s not a very structured environment for a reason. It’s a place to be comfortable and say ‘I’m welcome here. When I’m ready to have a conversation, I can. If I just want to sit quiet, I can.’ ”

Visits to Oasis have climbed past 1,000, according to its leaders.

“When you see the numbers rise,” Dewey said, “that means they’re coming back. That same person had a good experience and said, ‘I feel welcome and I’m going to come back again.’ It’s providing a place where someone feels safe, heard, and validated. And that’s what this is all about.”

Dewey described the new location as “ideal because we have folks that already come in [to The Providence Center] and are getting treatment and then they can get this piece added with their treatment by joining a group. It may just be a step up the stairs or an elevator ride to the fourth floor.”

Conversely, she said, “A member who comes to Oasis may need to have higher services, may need more clinical help, and these folks here can refer them to a therapist or if they need anything more than that, a program.”

Oasis is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with Zoom sessions scheduled some nights and weekends. The phone number is 401-432-7621.

The center provided Ocean State Stories with a list of scheduled activities by day and time. They included a craft group from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Mondays; a wellness & recovery group from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Tuesdays; an Oasis/NAMI-RI Connection Group from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Wednesdays; laughter yoga from 2 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Thursdays; and the emotions anonymous group from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Fridays.

Visitors to Oasis come from around the state, although the core population is drawn from the Providence metropolitan area. All are welcome, leaders say.

And while many return time and time again, some leave for good, taking with them friendships and pleasant memories.

And that, says Feldman, is good.

“One of our members who’s been unemployed for a number of years posted on Facebook yesterday that he has a job interview today,” Feldman said. “So that’s how we lose members. They actually go back to work and succeed in the community. We have some of our members who became social workers. Some have become peer specialists.

“People move on in their lives, and then new people come in.”
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Oasis Wellness & Recovery
Peer-led Groups
Elevator or stairs to 4^th floor waiting room.
Staff will come out and get you when group starts or
Call 401-432-7621 to get in anytime between 9am and 4pm

MONDAYS