Rate Monica Rich-McLaurin

Monica Rich-McLaurin is a seasoned social worker with more than 25 years of experience. She has worked with the entire life span in a myriad of settings from foster care, outpatient mental health, inpatient mental health to community outreach and Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) services. Monica has worked in administrative capacities as a performance improvement specialist, where she led overall compliance with multiple funder and accrediting requirements for a $26M non-profit organization, and has occupied clinical leadership, such as director of operations for a traumatic brain injury facility. She has also held the position of adjunct faculty for The University of Detroit-Mercy and a multitude of clinical positions. Monica has also led the development and coordination of integrated behavioral health in a primary medical clinic in Detroit, Michigan. She is an Administrative and Program surveyor for CARF International, an accrediting body for the majority of behavioral health, medical rehabilitation and opioid treatment organizations around the world. Monica earned two master’s degrees; one in health services administration from Central Michigan University and one in social work from The University of Michigan. These educational achievements have positioned Monica to provide training and education on the state level to other human service professionals in a myriad of focus areas, such as ethics, mental health awareness, disparities and anti-stigma campaigns.

In November 2020, Monica was appointed chairwoman of the National Association of Social Worker (NASW) National Ethics Committee, where she is charged with assuring the ethical integrity of the social work profession by participating in professional reviews where ethical violations have been alleged, as well as assisting in the revision of the NASW Code of Ethics and Professional Review Manual to reflect current practice. Monica has also served as chairwoman and secretary of the NASW-Michigan Chapter Ethics Committee and has participated in mediation and adjudication hearings on state and national levels. In October, 2021, Monica was also appointed to the National Association for Addiction and Drug Addiction Counselors (NAADAC) committee on Critical Issues In the Black Community, which seeks to reduce the disparities in access to substance treatment among people of color. After one year of diligent service and demonstrated leadership, she was named co-chair of this committee. Lastly, Monica serves as an advisory board member for Sisters Making It Happen (SMIH), a non-profit 501 (c)(3) that provides mentoring and empowerment workshops to vulnerable and at-risk populations, including teens and single parents. She has served as an elected official as a precinct delegate in Oakland County, Michigan. Monica is a proud and active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated and The Links, Incorporated."

Brightside Health is a fully online mental health practice providing life-changing care for anxiety, depression, and related conditions through personalized Psychiatry and Therapy services available to all 50 states. Named the "best online psychiatry service" for 4 years in a row by such publications as Forbes, Healthline, Yahoo, VeryWellMind and Everyday Health among others.