(ST. LOUIS – January 8, 2018) Independence Center, a St. Louis psychosocial rehabilitation center for people with serious and persistent mental illness, recently hired Christine Estrada as the organization’s new Community Support Manager. Estrada is a licensed clinician with over 25 years of experience supervising programs that serve the most vulnerable population experiencing homelessness, mental illness and co-occurring substance use. Estrada will be responsible for administrative, programmatic and clinical oversight of Independence Center’s Community Support Program.

“Christy will bring a wealth of specialized knowledge and experience to Independence Center’s staff,” said Independence Center Executive Director Mark Bethell. “She has previous experience with our organization, which is wonderful because she has a strong understanding of our mission and values.”

Prior to joining Independence Center’s staff, Estrada spent more than 15 years working as a BJC Health Clinical Supervisor. While at BJC, she oversaw clinical supervision of their homeless outreach team and participated on committees focused on providing care to the homeless. She also spent three years working as Independence Center’s Work Lead Unit and Transitional Employment Supervisor and two years working at as an inpatient and emergency room psychiatric social worker at St. Louis State Hospital.

Estrada received her Bachelor and Masters of Social Work from University of Missouri-Columbia. She is also a licensed clinical social work in Missouri and is certified to provide Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) licensure in Missouri.

Independence Center is a community-based rehabilitation program for adults with serious and persistent mental illnesses in the St. Louis area, built on the Clubhouse model of psychosocial rehabilitation. Its mission is to provide all the services and resources a person with a serious and persistent mental illness needs to manage their symptoms, find belonging and purpose and gain the independence to live a healthy, quality life.