Independence Center

"Everyone here has a mental illness so therefore nobody will judge if you act or seem a 'little crazy'. I got in and had an orientation for members, they fed us lunch both days and it was so yummy! I seriously devoured the gyro I got. It's only $2 to get lunch here, as far as I know anyone can eat at the Arch View Cafe and I 100% recommend it. If you have CPTSD, anxiety, any type of mental illness, try joining! It's free and they do everything they can to empower you including job searches and community building."

"This place is trustworthy. I'm on the inside, China online. Following Almighty Jesus. Here's a safe building to donate goods to Americans. They will distribute it evenly. Stay alive."

"I am very torn about how to rate this agency. From a marketing perspective, this agency puts out the right message. However, I have spent over 10 years looking for Independence Center to do something, anything, to support me. It is quite difficult to get them involved. While I have met milestones since being enrolled, these outcomes are as a result of other interventions, or my own effort. How do I know this? Independence Center has NEVER helped me to find a job or to find housing, any time that I had ever needed it. It is very difficult to say, from my own experience, what this agency has done, if anything. Goal setting appears to be a bit elusive (as do outcomes that are a direct result of their efforts) and some of the statements in the treatment plan are simply written to fill space, and never provided. This could be more related to the intermittent involvement that I have had with agency, or it could be that the agency does not adequately support my needs. I have started to venture in the direction of looking elsewhere."

"Independence Center is a great place to belong if you have a mental illness. There are employment programs, an education program, a wellness program and more. Midwest Psychiatry also helps individuals to go to school by providing information for the disability office at that school. Having a sense of belonging to an organization helps to counteract the effects of self-stigma (internalized stigma). Self-stigma is something most people with mental illness has to deal with on an every day basis."

"Independence Center is about helping individuals to live better in the community and gives you an opportunity to work in the community. It gives you a sense of belonging to an organization so you do not feel isolated and are a part of a community. This sense of belonging to a community aids in minimizing the effects of self-stigma (internalized stigma) that most individuals with mental illness deal with on a daily basis. Independence Center also provides assistance with giving individuals an opportunity to go back to school to either start or finish their education."