Meet our team of expert mental health authors.

At TherapyTribe we are committed to providing our readers with professional, accurate and digestible references on important mental health and therapy topics. Our experts regularly review and update our articles to include the latest treatment modalities and philosophies.

Learning all you can about mental health is an important first step toward feeling better.


Ilene S. Cohen, Ph.D, expert mental health author.

Ilene S. Cohen, Ph.D.

“Dr. Ilene” S. Cohen, is a licensed marriage and family therapist, author, and mother of two young girls. She is one of the most respected voices in the psychology of people-pleasing and navigating the difficulty of living an intentional life while trying to maintain fulfilling relationships.

She is the author of 6 books, which have received awards and 5-star ratings from her readers. These include her most famous book, When It’s Never About You, and her latest book, The Forgiveness Workbook. She’s a regular contributor to Psychology Today, with dedicated readers in the millions. Her books and therapy practice are fueled by a passion for helping people achieve their goals, build a strong sense of self, and lead fulfilling and meaningful lives. As president of her family’s foundation, Dr. Ilene oversees various initiatives to create better opportunities for those in need. Dr. Ilene holds a B.A. in Psychology, from the University of Tampa, as well as her Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Marriage and Family Therapy from Nova Southeastern University.


Darlene Lancer, JD, MFT, expert mental health author

Darlene Lancer, JD, MFT

Darlene Lancer is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and an expert author on relationships and codependency. She has counseled individuals and couples for 30 years and coaches internationally. Darlene is a prolific author as well as a sought after speaker in the media and at professional conferences.

Her books include: Dating, Loving, and Leaving a Narcissist: Essential Tools for Improving or Leaving Narcissistic and Abusive Relationships, Conquering Shame and Codependency: 8 Steps to Freeing the True You and Codependency for Dummies. Darlene has also written several ebooks, including: 10 Steps to Self-Esteem, How To Speak Your Mind – Become Assertive and Set Limits, Dealing with a Narcissist: 8 Steps to Raise Self-Esteem and Set Boundaries with Difficult People, “I’m Not Perfect – I’m Only Human” – How to Beat Perfectionism, and Freedom from Guilt and Blame – Finding Self-Forgiveness. Darlene’s books are available on Amazon, as well as her website, where you can get a free copy of “14 Tips for Letting Go.”


Sari Cooper, CST, LCSW-R, expert mental health author

Sari Cooper, CST, LCSW-R

Sari Cooper is the Founder and Director of The Center for Love and Sex, a group practice specializing in sex therapy. Sari is an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist and Supervisor with over 20 years in practice. She is an internationally recognized expert in the field of couples therapy and sex therapy, presenting at professional sex therapy conferences and offering webinars on her website centerforloveandsex.com and the host of Sex Esteem®, a YouTube show featuring interviews with experts in the field. In addition to therapy, Sari leads groups for folks interested in increasing their Sex Esteem® intelligence for themselves, their relationships and as parents.

Sari is a featured expert appearing on a wide variety of media outlets including: CBS This Morning, Dr. Oz, The Wall Street Journal, oprahmag.com, CNN, Refinery29, Bustle, and HuffPost. Sari has written her Sex Esteem® blog on Psychology Today, HuffPost and her own site. She is currently working on a book.


Emily Mendez, M.S., Ed.S, expert mental health author.

Emily Mendez, M.S., Ed.S.

Emily Mendez is one of the leading voices in mental health. She is a former therapist and mental health author. Emily’s writing has appeared in eCounseling, SonderMind, and more. She is frequently interviewed by Healthline, Fatherly, INSIDER, Family Circle, and other national media for her advice and expert opinion on the latest mental health topics.

Emily has an ED.S. in Mental Health Counseling as well as a MsED in Counseling from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. She also has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Indiana University, Purdue University Indianapolis. Emily is also the founder of Priceless Copy, a female-led creative and digital content agency for mental health and wellness brands.


Dr. R.Y. Langham, Ph.D., expert mental health author.

Dr. R. Y. Langham, Ph.D.

Dr. R. Y. Langham holds a Master of Marriage and Family Therapy (M.M.F.T.) from Trevecca Nazarene University and a Ph.D. in Family Psychology from Capella University. She is currently a medical, health & wellness contributor, copywriter, researcher and psychological consultant for Livestrong magazine, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Disorders.org, Healthline, CIGNA, Psychology Today and numerous medical doctors, psychologists, and psychiatrists.

Dr. R. Y. Langham has over a decade of experience writing and editing medical, health & wellness, dating, marriage, love, and psychological articles as well as self-help guides for a variety of popular magazines, newspapers, and companies. She was the Medical Review copyeditor for CIGNA for 3 years and co-authored a marriage and family textbook used by college students across the US.


Jenna Jarrold, MS, LPC, expert mental health author.

Jenna Jarrold, MS, LPC

Jenna Jarrold is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). She graduated from University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and received her Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Phoenix. In addition, Jenna is a Certified EMDR therapist and an LGBTQ+ affirming therapist. Jenna is currently employed at the Thriveworks as a counselor where she utilizes an integrative approach including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical-behavioral therapy (DBT), and mindfulness to help individuals with a range of challenges. 

Jenna is also a passionate mental health writer focusing on topics such as Eating Disorder, Depression, Anxiety, Gender Identity Disorder, Substance Abuse, Dissociative Disorders, Stress Management, Healthy Coping Skills, and Training CBT/DBT. Jenna also has experience creating educational content for college-level programs, and generating subject matter for national mental health exam preparation courses.


Hailey Shafir, LCMHCS, LCAS, CCS, expert mental health author.

Hailey Shafir, LCMHCS, LCAS, CCS

Hailey Shafir is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, Licensed Clinical Addiction Specialist and Certified Clinical Supervisor working out of Raleigh, NC. Hailey sees clients online through her private practice “Keep Counsel,” where she specializes in helping adults with issues like shame, addiction, trauma, anxiety and unhealthy destructive habits.

In addition, Hailey provides clinical supervision and continuing education trainings (CE credits) for mental health and addiction counselors through her company Therapy Cred. She is the developer and owner of the Plan-it Therapy treatment planning cards for therapists and IndyWind, a small shop where she sells handmade art. Hailey has over a decade of experience in mental health and addiction counseling and uses this knowledge to write articles and self-help resources for several websites. Her work has been featured in publications like Forbes, Entrepreneur, Vice, Inside Hook, Psych Central and Very Well Mind. She is passionate about empowering people with accurate and up-to-date information that can help them make informed choices and improve their mental and emotional well-being.


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