Columbia River Mental Health Services is pleased to announce the appointment of a new board member, Dr. Lisa Steele.
Dr. Steele was trained as a clinical psychologist and has been specializing in co-occurring mental health and substance misuse disorder treatment for nearly 40 years.
Dr. Steele has served to bridge the gap between the mental health system and the substance misuse treatment systems by serving as the first child/adolescent co-occurring services coordinator for the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health. She also served on the LA County Task Force for Co-Occurring Services and led a collaborative of 30 treatment providers to develop best practices.
Dr. Steele has served as CEO of nonprofits serving the co-occurring population in Los Angeles and hospital systems in the Pacific Northwest. She has also served as an adjunct professor at several community colleges in addiction studies and psychology.
Substance use and mental health treatment are at the top of Dr. Steele’s list of experiences. Earlier in her career, she operated a consulting business, working with mental health businesses and substance misuse treatment organizations to expand and implement integrated co-occurring disorders treatment across the country. She enjoyed serving as a consultant to the Substance Abuse Mental Health Administration in Washington, D.C., in developing systems that would allow for one treatment plan and one treatment team to enable a more beneficial recovery experience for those entering treatment.
Currently, Dr. Steele serves as the system director of behavioral health services for PeaceHealth.
Dr. Steele expresses her desire to help provide recovery opportunities for people struggling with substance use in the community.
“My life’s work has been to create systems where any door is the right door for people to recover. People in recovery are courageous, creative people who deserve the best life has to offer.”
We are proud to welcome Dr. Lisa Steele to the Columbia River family!
