Expert mental health writer

Person flipping through a magazine, representing Jennifer Pirtle’s experience and insights for editors and writers

What I Offer Editors

  • Evidence-informed articles on mental health, therapy, relationships, and self-awareness

  • Ghostwriting or expert quotes from a qualified psychotherapist

  • Pitches on emotional wellbeing, trauma recovery, burnout, creativity, and nervous system regulation

  • Collaborative, deadline-friendly writing with editorial experience on both sides of the desk

Journalism meets Psychotherapy

With more than 20 years’ experience as a journalist and editor in New York City and London, I bring a rare dual lens to writing about mental health, emotional wellbeing, physical health, and personal development.

Before becoming a psychotherapist, I wrote for global publications including Women’s Health, Red, Cosmopolitan, SELF, Health, Martha Stewart Living, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Condé Nast Traveller. I now combine this editorial expertise with deep clinical insight to create content that’s both engaging and psychologically informed.

As a fully qualified and UKCP-registered therapist, I specialise in trauma, Internal Family Systems (IFS), emotional resilience, and integrative approaches to healing. My work as a mental health writer is grounded in up-to-date clinical knowledge and a deep understanding of how to communicate sensitive or complex topics with clarity, warmth, and authority.

Whether you’re looking for a contributing writer, an expert source, or someone who understands the bridge between psychology and storytelling, I’d love to connect.

Here you'll find a small sampling of my published work—from articles on emotional wellbeing and mental health to features exploring creativity, relationships, and personal growth. With a background as both a therapist and editor, I bring a clear, compassionate voice to topics that matter.

Featured
Why It’s Good to Be a Quitter
Why It’s Good to Be a Quitter

[Thrive Global]

Quitting is wildly underrated. For most of our lives, we’re told that grit, determination, and stick-with-it-ness are the qualities that will bring us success. While this can be true, giving up on something can be the smartest decision you’ll ever make.

Banishing Burnout
Banishing Burnout

[Yoga Journal]

For eight years, Karl LaRowe worked in the emergency room at an inner-city hospital in Portland, Oregon. As a crisis intervention counselor, he helped hundreds of people each month cope with everything from domestic violence and depression to psychosis and suicide attempts. Eventually, the constant adrenaline rushes and biweekly 48-hour shifts took their toll.

Breathe Easy
Breathe Easy

[Runner’s World]

Dan Houston, 49, occasionally suffered from hay fever, yet his allergies never affected his ability to run. That changed in July 2004 when he began having trouble breathing during a routine six-miler. "My lungs felt like I was inhaling very cold air in the middle of winter," says Houston, a department manager for a machinery manufacturer in York County, South Carolina.

Speechless in Manhattan
Speechless in Manhattan

[Self]

One Monday morning I woke up to find that my voice had disappeared. This was no minor hoarseness, but a full-blown absence of sound. I felt like a goldfish, mouth opening and closing in an ineffectual “O”. My doctor told me that a viral infection had left my vocal cords red, ravaged, and angry. The treatment? Several days without speaking. “No exceptions,” he stressed.

Outrun the Common Cold
Outrun the Common Cold

[Runner’s World]

It's the time of year when runners tolerate more than just cold temperatures, biting winds, and slick roads. When we venture out for our daily ritual, we face the tsk-tsking of nonrunning spouses, coworkers, and snowplow drivers who think we're nutcases just asking for bronchitis or the flu.

The Healing Power of Forgiveness
The Healing Power of Forgiveness

[Zest]

We all know what it’s like to be wronged. Maybe someone you trust hurt you recently — perhaps your boyfriend lied to you or a visiting relative made a cutting comment about your shape. Or it could be that the pain runs deeper — beginning when you were a child and rippling out, like rings in a pond, into your adult life.

How Safe is Your Hospital?
How Safe is Your Hospital?

[Women’s Health, Special Report]

Kathy McCabe, 31, had already seen two doctors about the stabbing pain in her stomach. But when it worsened, she headed to the ER near her home in Washington, D.C. After lying on the hospital floor in anguish for more than 2 hours, McCabe was given a CAT scan so doctors could see 3-D images of her organs.

Is Your Job Damaging Your Health?
Is Your Job Damaging Your Health?

[Red Magazine]

With working hours on the increase, everything we do with our jobs - from the way we sit at our desks to what we snack on - has a direct effect on our physical and emotional wellbeing.