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Christopher Payne LCSW Chris is the Frontline Wellness Coordinator at NAMI North Texas, and is also a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a background in trauma. Previously a college dropout, Chris went into the military and served six years as a combat medic in the US Army, deploying to both Iraq and Afghanistan. Chris began unofficially providing peer support to other soldiers during his enlistment and, due to the high amount of trauma and suicide Chris witnessed in the military, he decided to go officially into the mental health field after his honorable discharge in 2014. He returned to school and finished his undergraduate and graduate degrees and began working as a licensed professional in the mental health field in 2018. He has worked closely with the veteran and first responder populations in North Texas, providing direct mental health care, critical incident debriefings, suicide and mental health trainings. He helped to develop the Overwatch Peer Support Program, a future NAMI Signature Program, and now manages the program.