DUE TO SNOWFALL FORECAST OUR ST. LOUIS ROTARY MEETING IS ZOOM ONLY ON FEBRUARY 3, 2022.
Jennifer Higginbotham has over three decades of experience in community mental health as a social worker and manager.
“Jennifer has impacted thousands of lives, not just at Independence Center, but globally as well, in her work with Clubhouse Training and as a faculty member for Clubhouse International,” said Independence Center Executive Director Mark Bethell. “She has also been instrumental in mentoring the other Clubhouses in Missouri. As we look to the future, Jennifer will play a vital role in advancing Independence Center’s essential mission with Clubhouse International and other mental health experts and organizations.”
Higginbotham obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, in 1984 and a Master in Social Work from Washington University, George Warren Brown School of Social Work, in 1986. While at GWB, Jennifer was first introduced to Independence Center as a practicum student. Independence Center’s founding Director, Bob Harvey, hired Higginbotham the month she graduated from Washington University, and she has continued working there in a variety of roles since then.
“From the moment I was first introduced to the Clubhouse Model approach of psychosocial rehabilitation nearly 30 years ago, I was instantly passionate about it,” said Higginbotham. “That passion has never left me. I’ve continued to develop close relationships with Independence Center members and staff and witnessed, firsthand, so many successful outcomes through the Clubhouse Model of Rehabilitation. My goal in the future is to continue building bridges in the community and building partners worldwide who share our common values and goals.”
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.