If you are experiencing a mental health crisis call 988 or text 741-741.

ABOUT US

We are a team of therapists, doctors, peers and technicians who provide counseling, medical, dental, and life skills support to equip the people we serve with tools to create their own paths toward mental wellness. 


We were the first in the Puget Sound region to achieve a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic designation from the federal government.

OUR MISSION

Comprehensive Life Resources provides whole health services that help Pierce County adults and youth recover from mental distress. We are an incubator for practice innovation and advocate for policies and health care reforms that improve the behavioral health system for the community and individuals we serve. We invest in and partner with youth and adults (our clients) on their path to health and well-being. 

From Our CEO Kim Zacher

It’s been nearly 15 years since the passing of the Affordable Care Act and 17 years since the passage of The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. These two bills fundamentally changed Americans access to behavioral health care for the better. 


Nearly all of us have lived experience with behavioral health challenges and treatment, either ourselves and/or through our close relationships. Investment in research and services have expanded effective interventions and with Gen X leading the way, we have worked incredibly hard to reduce stigma. 


This is not to say that we have achieved all of our goals. The behavioral health safety net system is still incredibly underfunded, leading to large pay disparities between professionals who work at agencies like CLR and those in hospital systems and private practice. Commercial health insurance plans and Medicare have resisted paying for home-based intensive integrated services like WISe and PACT, care coordination, and peer support. This, along with archaic rules about who can bill those plans, creates barriers for many needing help. 


The positive news is that law makers, with a big push from all of us, are starting to tackle some of these structural challenges through transformation like the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic model. I am optimistic that over the next five years we will continue to see policies and investments aimed at ensuring everyone has better access to high quality, affordable treatments.

 

While it is vitally important that we continue to advocate for access to treatment, I would propose that it is time to turn our attention to the most overlooked part of the health system, and that is prevention. In the 2024 Mental Health America “state of mental health” report, over 20% of Americans reported experiencing a mental illness, 20% a substance abuse issue and 2 in 5 high school youth reported feeling sad and hopeless in the last year. The World Health Organization estimates that nearly a billion people around the world live with a diagnosable mental disorder.


While the pandemic did us no favors – our sociologist colleagues warned us that COVID would have generational impacts and we will need to continue to focus on academic and social recovery for our kids and support the many among us who have new chronic health issues caused by COVID – rates of depression and anxiety have been climbing for a decade. 


The US Surgeon General has outlined several priorities directly aimed at improving our mental health— including boosting social connection, addressing firearm violence, getting kids off social media (adults, too, frankly), supporting our “sandwich generation” of caregivers, and boosting our overall general health.


In 2021, CLR was awarded a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic SAMHSA expansion grant. This marked our formal transition to a whole-person care approach where we focus not only on behavioral health symptoms, but also physical health, nutrition, financial stability and housing, cultural connections, one’s sense of purpose and connection to others.  It is only by seeing our mental health as one element of our complex modern lives that we can support our clients and ourselves in sustained mental wellness. Washington State was recently awarded a SAMHSA CCBHC planning grant to ensure that the CCBHC model is made a permanent part of our statewide behavioral health system.


The experience of seeking services where not only do we trust you to be the expert about what you want and need, but are also interested in your whole life, not just your anxiety or your mood disorder, can be disorienting. Most of us have become so accustomed to each of our health care providers caring ONLY about the appendage or organ they are focused on. 


Don’t be surprised when you come to CLR and we want to talk about how much you are on your phone or how often you take a walk outside or what food you eat. We promise – no judgement – we are all living in the same complicated world that often asks of us the exact things that take away from our mental health. AND – as we have seen by fighting stigma and advocating that mental health be taken seriously as a health condition, we can change attitudes and policies. 


Human beings are built to be resilient and to adapt as our world evolves – but at our core our basic needs remain the same. By taking a whole person approach to behavioral health our goal is not just to support you with the problem you are facing today but to help you build skills and knowledge that supports you for your whole life.

Kim Zacher smiling and sitting on the arm of a gray couch. She is inside a bright room, wearing a dark blue long-sleeved dress with teal on the sleeves and bottom of the dress. In the background, there is a window to the left with a small green plant on the window sill, a tan-colored wooden wall, with a colorful abstract picture with a black border.

Board of Directors

Timm Dowling

President

Scott Handler

Vice President/Secretary

Chris Kreifels

Treasurer

Christie Steele

Board Member

Corey Darlington

Board Member

Jeffrey Bryant

Board Member

Jessie Wells

Board Member

Jim Wolch

Board Member

Kari Moore

Board Member

Keith Mars

Board Member

Kelsey Potter

Board Member

Tracey Sorenson

Board Member


Rebecca Pumpian

Board Member

EXECUTIVE TEAM

Kim Zacher

Chief Executive Officer

Kim has been CLR's top leader since 2016.  


“Early in my career, the residential counselors taught me so much - how to laugh and find joy in this work, how to get back up when bad things happen to the clients we care about and why donuts in the staff office are mandatory!” 

Kymm Dozal

Executive Director, Youth Intensive Services

Kymm leads the children's intensive residential treatment program.


"One of my college professors told me about a degree called social work and that I did not need to take anatomy. I was sold. I realized how this path was exactly what I was looking for."

Aaron Forster

Chief Technology Officer

Aaron oversees the Health Information and technology support teams.


"I like applying my abilities and the use of technology to support programs that help the community. A lot of companies – especially in technology – don’t get see the direct benefit, and I appreciate that opportunity at CLR."

Dan Gehl facing forward and smiling. He is wearing a light blue button up shirt. He is outside in the daylight. In the blurred background, there are trees and a gray wall to the left.

Dan Gehl

Chief Operating/Finance Officer

Dan Gehl oversees the organization's finance and facilities departments. 


"It is important to me to give back to the community we live in. I am proud of our work and know that our providers are delivering critical care to those in need throughout the county. It is great working with mission-driven and caring people. There is the opportunity to make a difference every day." 

Paula Gillespie

Chief Human Resources Officer

Paula leads the team of human resources professionals.


“I joined the CLR team because I wanted to work for a place that wasn't just about making money. I wanted to be part of an organization that would make a difference in people’s lives.” 

Christine Gleason

Chief Communications & Community Affairs Officer

Chris leads the communications, development and community relations work for the agency. 


“I am honored to have the opportunity to shine light on an organization that contributes so significantly to our community's well-being, and am constantly in awe of the CLR team's deep commitment to the mission.” 

Kathy Hagen

Program Development Manager
and Implementation Consultant

For years, Kathy managed CLR's outpatient, Mobile Community Intervention and Response Team, First Episode Psychosis, Child Welfare, Program of Assertive Community Treatment, and Assisted Outpatient Treatment programs. 


"I am passionate about system advocacy and reform. I hate how our society treats those with mental illness and I am committed to reducing stigma."

Brianna Lantz

Executive Assistant & Community Affairs Strategist

Brianna provides administrative support to the CEO, board of directors, and the executive team. She also provides communication and marketing support. 


“I am grateful every day to be part of an organization that does so much for the most vulnerable in our community. It doesn’t feel like 'work' to lend support to a such a worthy mission.” 

James Pogue

Executive Director, Homeless Services

James oversees three programs: Homeless Outreach, the Foundational Community Supports team, and Forensic Housing and Recovery through Peer Services. 


"Like so many who enter this field, I had personal experience as a child of the impacts of being raised in a home with parents who struggled with behavioral health needs. This led me to want to understand why the system wasn't able to address my parents’ needs and struggles."

April Stallings

Chief Administrative Officer

April oversees policies, quality assurance and quality improvement, safety and risk management, contract and data management, and residential services.


“I was so fortunate to be raised to naturally realize that service to others is good, and that we are all equally valuable and capable of great contribution and happiness.”

Beth Stone

Executive Director, Outpatient Services

Beth oversees children's outpatient and school-based services.


“Once at CLR, it was really the work and the people here that instilled and grew my value and passion to continue to work for and serve those who are in most need in my community.” 

SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM

Jodie White


Executive Director, Adult Residential Services

Jodie leads the adult intensive residential treatment program - Park Place.


“I believe in recovery, and that people are capable of returning to a place in their lives where they can experience success and joy by regaining control over things they have once lost.” 

Traci Krieg

Executive Director, Adult Behavioral Health

Traci manages the adult outpatient, Program of Assertive Community Treatment and Mobile Community Intervention & Response Team programs.


“I have a passion for all populations, which has been hard in some ways because I want to work with all of them all the time. I believe in nonprofit and helping our most vulnerable populations. CLR’s philosophy of care has particularly aligned with my own.” 

Janet Diehl

Health Information Director, HIPAA Privacy Officer

Janet ensures agency compliance with patient information laws.


“We have an abundance of compassion in what we do for our patients and our staff.” 

Jennifer Sorensen

Director, Outpatient Behavioral Health Services

Jenn supervises our clinical team that supports adults in our on-site therapy programs.

Julie Bradley

Employee Support & Development Coordinator

Julie leads employee trainings and provides mentorship to interns and peers.


“From early teenage on, I have had personal experiences with both very good and very bad mental healthcare providers. This likely was the germ of an inner vision of possibility - maybe my life could be spent somehow trying to help others have their best life, or at least minimize suffering.” 

Mandy Bjork

Administrative Services Director

Mandy manages contracts, risk management and compliance.


“I love working at CLR because of the creativity, positivity, compassion, empathy, and service leadership. Much of the experiences and knowledge I have acquired over my years comes from my coworkers, and that makes me want to stay, knowing together we are making a difference for others.” 

Reneishiah Davis

Human Resources Director

Reneishiah provides HR consultation and mediation for managers and employees.


“I have always felt a desire to help people and be that source where at the end of the day, someone can leave from my presence saying that I genuinely was there for them in a time of need.” 

Shane Verhoef

Medical Director

Shane leads CLR's psychiatric medical team.


“CLR’s heart is in the right place. With most people here, there isn’t the same level of being skeptical or snarky, or jaded like you might see in other places. People here seem to find value and purpose in their job.” 

Tim Rasor

Controller

Vicki Svensson

Nursing Director

Vicki leads CLR's team of nurses.


“I chose to move across the country to be with CLR because of [the agency’s] proven history of reaching out and assisting the most vulnerable populations, which aligns with my values. Meeting the team when I visited allowed me to make a sound decision that I wanted to be part of the CLR family.”

Ashley Harris

WISe Director

Ashley leads CLR's WISe (Wraparound with Intensive Services) team.


"The stories keep me here. Watching families succeed, working with my staff, and witnessing their care and dedication to mission is just amazing.”

Whitney Faulkner

Pearl Youth Residence Program Director

Whitney leads the team at CLR's youth residential facility, Pearl Youth Residence.

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