Archways Recovery Centers
About Archways Recovery Centers: Our Mission, Values, and Treatment Team in Mesa, Arizona
Comprehensive and integrated care · Licensed clinicians and lived experience · Serving the East Valley
The triumphant arch through which you pass to freedom.
Integrity | Reliability | Dedication | Respect
Who We Are and What Brought Archways Recovery Centers Into Existence
Archways Recovery Centers is a comprehensive treatment program for adult men and women facing alcoholism, substance use disorders, love and relationship addiction, and the co-occurring mental health conditions that so frequently accompany them. We were built by people who came to this field through their own families and their own recovery, which shapes how the organization operates in ways that are difficult to manufacture from the outside.
Our work combines evidence-based and holistic practices with a clinical emphasis on individual, group, and family therapy, delivered through an intensive outpatient program, integrated dual diagnosis treatment, and structured sober living homes. The aim throughout is to give individuals and families a working set of skills that hold up long after the last session.
The Mission Statement That Guides Every Program We Operate
Our mission is to provide comprehensive, integrated behavioral health, substance abuse, and chemical dependency treatment services that promote the health and quality of life of our clients, staff, and community members.
To inspire confidence and respect as a provider of comprehensive behavioral health care.
To be a valued partner in alliances that promote the health and quality of life for our community and its members.
Two words in that statement do the heavy lifting. Comprehensive means the range of services matches what people actually present with. Someone arriving with alcohol dependency frequently also arrives with untreated anxiety, a damaged marriage, an employment problem, and nowhere safe to sleep. A program addressing only the drinking has addressed the least durable part of the picture.
Integrated means those elements are handled by one coordinated team working from a single plan rather than by separate providers who never speak to each other. This matters most in co-occurring disorder treatment, where the older practice of treating addiction first and mental health afterwards produces a person shuttled between two systems, each waiting on the other to go first.
Why Our Mission Names Clients, Staff, and Community Members Rather Than Clients Alone
Most treatment providers write a mission naming only the people they treat. Ours names three groups, and the other two are there deliberately.
Clients
Quality of life is the operative phrase. Abstinence attached to a life that has become unbearable is not a successful outcome; it is a countdown. Employment, relationships, housing, sleep, and purpose are treatment concerns rather than pleasant extras.
Staff
Behavioral health has a burnout problem, and depleted clinicians deliver worse care. Naming staff wellbeing in a mission statement acknowledges that the quality of treatment a client receives is bounded by the condition of the person delivering it. Supervision, workable caseloads, and continuing training are client protections, not staff perks.
Community members
Addiction is never contained within the person who has it. Families absorb it, employers absorb it, and emergency services absorb it. A provider that improves outcomes for its clients is also reducing load on everyone around them, and that is part of the point rather than a side effect.
The Operational Goals We Set for Ourselves as a Behavioral Health Provider
A mission describes intent. Goals describe what an organization has committed to doing about it. These are ours.
| Our Goal | What It Requires in Practice |
|---|---|
| To evaluate and plan for the behavioral health needs of our clients, using best practices and adhering to all federal, state, and local regulations | Structured clinical assessment at intake, treatment planning tied to documented need, and compliance with Arizona Department of Health Services licensing requirements alongside federal privacy and parity law |
| To provide accessible, effective, and efficient behavioral health and chemical dependency treatment | Day and evening group schedules, insurance participation, and levels of care that people can realistically attend while working, studying, or raising children |
| To advocate for the rights and needs of individuals with behavioral health and chemical dependency challenges | Person-first language as standard, active work against stigma, and support for clients navigating employment, housing, and benefits questions that follow a diagnosis |
| To engage in active outreach assuring prevention, early intervention, and coordination of services | Working relationships with detox providers, psychiatric services, residential programs, courts, employers, and the mutual aid community, so that people reach appropriate care earlier |
| To continually measure outcomes to assure effectiveness, efficiency, and fiscal accountability | Tracking retention, program completion, and step-down engagement, and treating poor numbers as information to act on rather than as something to explain away |
The fifth goal is the one most providers omit, and it is the one that gives the others teeth. Retention is among the strongest predictors of outcome in addiction treatment. A program people leave early is failing at something, and the honest response is to find out what rather than to attribute it to a lack of client motivation.
The Four Values That Translate Our Mission and Goals Into Daily Practice
Integrity, reliability, dedication, and respect are the pillars of the program. They are not theories printed on a wall. The test of any value is what it costs to hold when holding it is inconvenient.
| Value | What It Means in Practice | What It Costs to Honor |
|---|---|---|
| Integrity | Recommendations fit the person in front of us, not the billing cycle | Turning away admissions we are not the right fit for |
| Reliability | The schedule holds and the assigned therapist is the therapist you see | Staffing for continuity rather than for convenience |
| Dedication | Support extends past the group room, because relapse risk does | Following up on people who have stopped attending |
| Respect | Nobody is reduced to a diagnosis, a substance, or a relapse history | Person-first language enforced even when it is slower |
Meet the Leadership and Clinical Team Behind Archways Recovery Centers
Successful, long-term recovery starts with a caring, dedicated team of experienced treatment professionals. That is not a slogan; it is the single variable that most consistently separates programs that work from programs that merely occupy a person’s calendar for a few months.
Michael Zweifel, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Michael has worked as a professional in the behavioral health field for many years and has a longstanding commitment to helping people struggling with addiction. His personal experience has given him a working knowledge of both what it takes to recover from addiction and what it means to become a productive member of a community again.
That experience, paired with genuine concern for the wellbeing of every person who walks through the door, is evident in his interactions with those he is seeking to help.
Jonathan Zweifel, BS, CFP, Co-Founder and Chief Financial Officer
Jonathan has dedicated much of his life to serving his community, consistently holding volunteer service positions with nonprofit organizations and within his faith tradition. He developed a commitment to the behavioral health field while supporting close family members through the process of recovery.
He brings substantial financial expertise to the Chief Financial Officer role as a graduate of Arizona State University’s W. P. Carey School of Business, with extensive experience in the finance industry. In a sector where financial practices have drawn justified scrutiny, having a qualified financial professional in that seat is a structural safeguard rather than an administrative detail.
Jacqueline Zengler, MA, LPC, NCC, Clinical Director
Jacqueline serves as Clinical Director at Archways Recovery Centers. As a Licensed Professional Counselor and Nationally Certified Counselor, she has worked as a primary therapist in medication assisted treatment and general mental health programs in outpatient, nonprofit settings, and has experience across both intensive outpatient and partial hospitalization levels of care.
She specializes in addiction treatment and trauma, with extensive training in cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and mindfulness-based approaches, alongside training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing for trauma.
Jacqueline holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Indiana University and a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Argosy University Phoenix.
She maintains a firm belief that everyone has the capacity to overcome suffering of both body and mind, and works from a strengths-based, holistic approach in helping clients toward it. Away from work she spends time with her husband and their three cats, and enjoys camping, tabletop games, and the occasional waterpark.
Alexandra Presler, Physician Assistant
Alexandra, a Phoenix native, holds a Bachelor of Science in Physiology with a minor in Psychology from the University of Arizona, and a Master’s in Physician Assistant Studies from Northern Arizona University’s Phoenix Biomedical campus.
During her education she volunteered in free medical clinics, and she later worked as a physician assistant with the homeless population in Maricopa County. In those settings she became closely familiar with the devastating effects of untreated addiction, which led her to pursue continuing education in addiction medicine and behavioral health.
She is committed to dismantling the stigma attached to addiction and to working collaboratively with patients toward sustained recovery. Outside of work she practices yoga regularly, spends as much time outdoors as she can, and enjoys exploring new restaurants and coffee shops with her husband.
Rebekah A. Dwyer, LAC, Primary Therapist
Rebekah acts as a Primary Therapist at Archways Recovery Centers, facilitating intensive outpatient groups and meeting with clients for individual therapy each week. She has worked as a professional in the mental health field for several years, with a particular focus on addiction, and has experience supporting clients with serious mental illness as the addiction specialist on an Assertive Community Treatment team. She has trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy for trauma.
Rebekah holds a Master’s Degree in Professional Counseling from Grand Canyon University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Arizona State University.
She has experienced recovery from addiction herself and is committed to helping others who are willing to do the work, with particular emphasis on addressing the underlying issues connected to substance use, mental health conditions, and trauma. Away from work she spends time with her family and her dog, trains regularly, and maintains her own recovery program through her sponsor and twelve step meetings.
Jennifer Mullin, Case Manager
Jennifer serves as Case Manager for Archways Recovery Centers, working with clients on the practical business of putting a life back together outside the therapy room. She brings several years of experience in addiction treatment and describes the work of watching people move toward becoming happy, sober individuals as the part she values most.
Jennifer is in recovery from addiction herself and believes that her own experience of overcoming it helps her relate to clients and support them through obstacles she has navigated. Outside of work she studies Business Administration at Rio Salado College, travels whenever she can, and enjoys the outdoors, gaming, and time with friends and family.
Gilbert Mejia, Client Relations
Gilbert is the client relations staff member at Archways Recovery Centers, giving tours to incoming clients to help them acclimate and to ensure they are comfortable and properly informed about the program before they begin. He works closely with the management team and provides administrative support.
He has several years of experience across the behavioral health field, in roles spanning behavioral health technician, admissions, marketing, and client relations. Outside of work Gilbert is an avid reader, follows college football, enjoys travel and film, and participates actively in twelve step functions.
Understanding the Clinical Credentials You Will Encounter at an Arizona Treatment Provider
Behavioral health credentials are not self-awarded, and knowing what each one signifies makes it considerably easier to evaluate any provider, including this one.
| Credential | What It Stands For | What It Signifies |
|---|---|---|
| LPC | Licensed Professional Counselor | Independent licensure through the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners, requiring a master’s degree plus supervised clinical hours |
| LAC | Licensed Associate Counselor | Master’s-level Arizona licensure practicing under clinical supervision while accruing hours toward independent licensure |
| NCC | National Certified Counselor | Voluntary national certification through the National Board for Certified Counselors, held alongside state licensure |
| PA | Physician Assistant | Master’s-level licensed medical provider able to assess physical health alongside behavioral health needs |
| EMDR | Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing | A structured, evidence-supported trauma therapy requiring separate specialist training |
| CFP | Certified Financial Planner | A financial professional credential carrying examination, experience, and ethical requirements |
Why Lived Experience Alongside Clinical Credentials Produces Better Treatment
Several members of this team are in recovery themselves, and several came to the field through a family member’s addiction rather than through an academic interest in it. That combination is deliberate rather than accidental.
Clinical training supplies the methods, the diagnostic reasoning, and the ethical framework, and none of that is substitutable. Lived experience supplies something different: an immunity to the particular tactics that people in early recovery use, and an unfakeable credibility when telling somebody that what they are feeling at week three is normal and survivable. A team with only one of these is weaker than a team with both. Peer support has become a recognized component of addiction care precisely because the evidence kept pointing that way.
Common Questions About Our Team, Our Mission, and How We Work
Who will I actually be working with?
Every client is assigned a primary therapist who provides weekly individual sessions and who remains the consistent clinical relationship throughout the program. Group facilitation, case management, and any medical assessment involve additional team members working from the same treatment plan.
What does a case manager do that a therapist does not?
Therapy addresses the internal work. Case management addresses everything outside the room that can undo it, including employment, housing, benefits, transport, and coordination between providers.
Is it a problem that some staff are in recovery themselves?
It is one of the reasons this work is done well. Professional boundaries and clinical supervision govern the relationship regardless, and lived experience operates within that structure rather than in place of it.
How do I verify a provider’s credentials?
Counselor licensure in Arizona is publicly searchable through the Board of Behavioral Health Examiners, and facility licensing and enforcement records are available through the state’s AZ Care Check system. Checking is reasonable, and no reputable provider will be troubled by it.
What happens if Archways is not the right fit?
Then we say so and point toward something that is. Referring accurately is part of the mission rather than a departure from it.
We care about you and your loved ones.
Let us help you pass through your triumphant arch and into freedom. An arch holds because separate stones lean on one another. So does a team, and so does a recovery.