Michael Blanche, MSS, LCSW, has spent nearly three decades working alongside individuals and families navigating addiction and co-occurring mental health conditions. He began his clinical career in 1996 as a substance use disorder counselor on the detox unit at Delaware County Community Hospital, then moved into outpatient work with Rehab After Work, and later into inpatient care at Malvern Institute, where he deepened his understanding of dual-diagnosis treatment.
In 2001, Mike returned to Rehab After Work to help open and lead a new treatment center in Exton, developing programs for adolescents and adults and holding the site’s state licensure. He completed his master’s degree in clinical social work at Bryn Mawr College in 2002 and went on to consult with the Caron Foundation on the development of its Recovery Care Management program. In 2006, he opened a private practice in West Chester, offering individuals and families a lower-barrier alternative for exploring treatment, and was recognized that year as Addiction Professional of the Year by the Greater Philadelphia community.
For many years, Mike has also worked part-time supporting students at Bryn Mawr College and West Chester University, and has partnered with area high schools, parent groups, and community organizations — including Communities That Care, the Muzzy Foundation, and Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers — to bring prevention education to students, families, and professionals across the region.
A central part of Mike’s work is his ongoing commitment to mental health and substance abuse families and individuals is found in his prevention and continuing education efforts. Since 2011, he has served as Clinical Advisor to Be a Part of the Conversation, a nonprofit organization based in Philadelphia area, dedicated to building community awareness and support around substance use and mental health. In that role, and in his broader prevention work, Mike has spoken at numerous middle and high schools throughout the Philadelphia region — including Agnes Irwin School, Friends’ Central School, and schools within the West Chester and Downingtown school districts — sitting down with students and parents alike to talk openly about these issues.
In 2017, Mike co-founded ETHOS Treatment LLC alongside long-time colleagues and friends Tom Connell and Brendan Young, building an outpatient behavioral health provider originally based in West Chester, now serving seven locations around Philadelphia area and two locations in Pittsburgh community. Mike now serves as Chief Clinical Officer. For close to a decade, one of his central priorities has been mentoring and supervising therapists early in their careers, helping them grow into strong, confident clinicians, the heart of ETHOS’s guiding philosophy of “Helping People Help People.” In 2024, the Caron Foundation honored him with the Richard J. Caron Award of Excellence, recognizing, in the Foundation’s words, his “caring spirit and commitment to partnership in our community.”
Mike considers it a privilege and honor to work with individuals and their families during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. He holds deep respect for the courage it takes for clients and families to reach out for support, and for the dedication of the clinicians and colleagues who walk alongside them every day.
