Our Team
The People Behind the Collective
The AI Mental Health Collective is led by practitioners committed to shaping a responsible, human-centered future at the intersection of AI and mental health care.
Rachel Wood
PhD, LPC
Dr. Rachel Wood holds a PhD in Cyberpsychology, making her one of a rare group of clinicians with deep expertise in the study of the digitally connected human experience, with particular emphasis on the impact of AI and synthetic relationships.
Alongside founding the AI Mental Health Collective, she works as an advisor, speaker, and licensed therapist dedicated to bridging the gap between human connection and technological advancement. She brings the same care, rigor, and ethical grounding to this training that she brings to every facet of her work.
Dr. Wood is an approved continuing education provider through NBCC and holds an NCC credential, an LPC license in Colorado, and serves on the American Psychological Association's AI Advisory Board.
Jessa Monroe
Pre-Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor
Drawing on the decade she spent in corporate consulting and tech communications before becoming a counselor, Jessa brings a grounded, industry-informed perspective to the intersection of AI and mental health. As a pre-licensed clinician at Serenity Now Counseling in Massachusetts, she is interested in supporting clients navigating the emotional impacts of technology use. As a marketing communications professional with clinical experience, she is open to consulting with organizations working to responsibly integrate AI into mental health care without compromising on human judgment, connection, and care.
Kira Weidner
PsyD
Dr. Weidner is a clinical psychologist whose work spans clinical practice, clinical program development, research methodology, AI product management, and digital product strategy. She focuses on translating evidence-based psychology and mental health regulation into safer tech products people actually use.
She is the founder and president of a virtual mental health non-profit, The Center for Affirming Families, an LGBTQ+ affirming family mental health practice serving youth & young adults, as well as helping individuals and families with perinatal and parenting support needs. She is a member APA Labs Expert Network, contributing subject-matter expertise to programs supporting evidence-based digital mental and behavioral health innovation. She is the founder of Weidner Consulting Services LLC, consulting and advising on integrating evidence-based psychology into digital mental health products. Dr. Weidner previously taught graduate psychology courses on research methodology, cognition & emotion, and clinical theory & practice at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.
Dr. Weidner has published research on topics related to trauma, violence, and sexual offending behavior; and presented extensively on topics in research design, emotion, health psychology, and legal & ethical considerations in adolescent mental health treatment.
Rachel Slick
LCSW
Rachel is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and has 10 years of clinical experience in mental health. For the last four years she has worked in the tech space as a quality assurance specialist, meaning she has a lot of experience working with ethics and quality metrics to ensure the clinical teams provide high quality care. Most recently her role has expanded to include the monitoring of the company's generative AI mental health chatbot. This experience has uniquely positioned Rachel at the intersection of generative AI and mental health. Her identity as a social worker brings a strong ethics perspective to every conversation. Her work has been featured by the University of Colorado Health system and in an accompanying women's health podcast.
