Meet the Team

Nwangburuka Olachi Gift

Administrative assistant

Olachi is our administrative superhero — the one who keeps the whole operation from falling to pieces. You’ll work with her as you’re scheduling onboarding calls with Saya.

Olachi is a passionate Digital Business Manager/Business Process Strategist with a strong focus on optimizing workflows, automating processes, and strengthening client relationships. Throughout her career, she has managed complex projects, coordinated teams, and successfully implemented CRM systems to improve client management processes.

You can reach out to her with any billing or administrative questions at admin@mentalhealthcontentwriting.com.

Ashley Des Marais

Designer

Ashley is our in-house designer. Art and mental health have always been important parts of her life. She graduated with a Bachelor’s in psychology with a minor in studio art, and completed an intensive certification program in UX Design.

She combines her design training with her understanding of human behavior to create visually inviting designs – including websites, branding materials, and print and digital assets. She has experience in crafting everything from logos and eBooks to one-pagers and promotional signage. Check out her portfolio here.

Saya and Ashley worked together for 5 years at a mental health startup, designing employee training programs, consumer-facing webinars, and more. Fun fact, Ashley married Saya’s brother and they have a baby on the way!

Geralyn Dexter PhD, LMHC

medical reviewer

Dr. Geralyn Dexter, PhD, LMHC, is a licensed mental health therapist, psychology professor, and content writer/reviewer in the mental health and substance use fields. She has over a decade of clinical and research experience. She provides expert medical review for mental health content to add credibility to your publication.

Saya's story

How I Got Here

As a kid, I was a reader. I didn't play sports, and I didn't love playing outside - what I loved were stories. I suppose it makes sense, considering my father is an antiquarian book dealer. My childhood home in West Los Angeles was always filled with stories; my allowance was given to me only in books.

For some reason, though, it never occurred to me to try to write for a living. I thought the only way to do that was to write the next great American novel, and I wasn't ready for that.

Instead, I decided to follow in my grandmother (and best friend)'s footsteps as a clinical social worker. Getting my MSW was one of the best things I've ever done with my life. I've gotten the honor to join so many people on their mental health journeys, and I'll never stop being grateful for that.

In my experience as a therapist and social worker, I mostly worked with children, teens, and families. I've worked as a therapist in community mental health clinics, public schools, youth homeless shelters, and more (I was even in private practice for a bit but - ironically - the stress of marketing drove me out!).

The last non-writing job I had was working as the training manager for a digital wellness start-up, which gave me the hustle I needed to start my writing business. This is also when I became an expert in Motivational Interviewing - my knowledge about behavior change makes my content just persuasive enough.

Now, I work as a full-time freelance mental health content writer, and help other mental health professionals connect to potential clients. I've found a way to combine my experience and expertise in mental health with my talent and passion for writing. I've never been happier!

198X

I was born in Tokyo and raised in Los Angeles. As a kid, I was a reader. I didn't play sports, and I didn't love playing outside - what I loved were stories. I suppose it makes sense, considering my father is an antiquarian book dealer. My childhood home in West Los Angeles was always filled with stories; my allowance was given to me only in books. For some reason, though, it never occurred to me to try to write for a living. I thought the only way to do that was to write the next great American novel, and I wasn't ready for that.

2008

Instead, I graduated with my Bachelor’s in Psychology from the University of California Irvine (UCI). I already knew that I wanted to be a therapist, and went to graduate school right away.

2009

In grad school, I began my first therapy position as a clinical social work intern working with adolescents in group homes. I’d applied to graduate school wanting to work with homeless women, so this was new for me – but I fell in love immediately.

2010

I graduated (with a 3.98 GPA, which no employers have ever cared about but I’m proud of nonetheless) with a Master in Social Work degree (MSW) with a concentration in mental health from the University of Southern California (USC). I chose USC to follow in my grandmother’s footsteps!

2010 - 2017

I worked as a therapist, mostly with children and families, in community health clinics, public schools, residential treatment centers, and more. I loved it. It was hard work, but I was so happy!

2017 - 2021

Because of personal reasons (I fell in love and moved to Mexico!), I worked as the Training Manager at a digital mental health start-up, where I wore many hats and began to create internal and consumer-facing content.

2021 - TODAY

I started as a very part-time freelance writer for mental health companies and professionals who needed a writer with mental health expertise. Today, I am a full-time writer with design & administrative staff! I’ve found a way to combine my experience in mental health with my passion for writing, and I’ve never been happier.

WHEN POTENTIAL CLIENTS FIRST MEET ME, ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THEY USUALLY WANT TO KNOW IS:

How did you get into this?

When potential clients first meet me, one of the first things they usually want to know is