Write what you know.  I know the world of mental health.  Being  a professional counselor for 12 years has given me the practical experience to establish a solid foundation of effective strategies and interventions.  After seeing hundreds of clients benefit from my expertise, I sought an avenue to communicate to a broader audience.  When you see one client for 45 minutes at a time, the audience is pretty narrow.

What originally started as a one-time project to write six articles  about mental health issues related to chronic medical conditions has only gained momentum for two years.  As the positive feedback began, the writing opportunities continued and the 2,500 words from the first week blossomed into more than 300,000 words.  The six-article assignment ballooned into 315 and counting.

Topics range from chronic medical conditions like COPD, AFib, MS and migraines to depression, anxiety and bipolar.  My goal is to provide the readers a better understanding of their condition, a thoughtful reflection of the connection between body and mind and effective, practical interventions that will lessen symptoms while improving their overall well-being.  I write 2000 words weekly for www.NewLifeOutlook.com.

My first piece to garner 10 likes felt like an amazing accomplishment.  When I crossed the 1,000 like threshold, I was blown away by the positive reception.  After my first piece surpassed 10,000 likes, I was speechless and incredibly proud.  If I saw 20 different clients per week for 50 weeks, it would take me 10 years to reach the audience that one article did.

2015 saw incredible expansion for my NewLifeOutlook writing. As they expanded their catalog, I was along for the ride. Now, my writing has been distributed on more than a dozen sites garnering positive feedback from my readers and editors alike.

Check out some of my favorite pieces:

http://depression.newlifeoutlook.com/depression-suicide/

http://migraine.newlifeoutlook.com/types-migraines/

http://anxiety.newlifeoutlook.com/autogenics/

http://bipolar.newlifeoutlook.com/bipolar-and-relationships/

http://ms.newlifeoutlook.com/ms-exercise/

To learn more about me and my writing, feel free to contact me at elpatterson14@gmail.com