Our Publishing Principles
At the Therapy Group of DC, we publish mental health content for people who are trying to understand what they’re going through and figure out whether therapy might help. Because this content influences real health decisions, we hold ourselves to standards that go beyond typical blog publishing. These principles govern everything we create.
Who Creates Our Content
All articles on this site are written or directly supervised by doctoral-level mental health professionals who are actively practicing clinicians — not freelance writers or content agencies.
Our primary authors are:
Dr. Brad Brenner, Ph.D. — Founder and Director of Therapy Group of DC, co-founder of WithTherapy. Counseling psychologist with a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, M.Phil. from the University of Cambridge, and EMBA from Quantic School of Business and Technology. Recipient of the John D. Black Award for Outstanding Contribution (2013) and the Mid-Career Award for Distinguished Contributions to Counseling Psychology (2019).
Dr. Keith Clemson, Ph.D. — Co-founder of Therapy Group of DC and co-founder of WithTherapy. Marriage and family therapist with a Ph.D. from Saint Louis University in Counseling and Family Therapy and an M.Ed. from the University of Missouri at Saint Louis.
Dr. Clemson maintains an active clinical practice and sees clients weekly at our Dupont Circle office. Dr. Brenner oversees the clinical direction of the practice, participates in case conferences, and consults on our doctoral externship and postdoctoral fellowship training programs. The perspectives in our articles come from direct clinical experience and ongoing involvement in client care, not secondhand research summaries.
How We Source and Cite Evidence
Mental health is a Your Money or Your Life (YMYL) topic, meaning inaccurate information can cause real harm. We take sourcing seriously.
Primary research sources: We cite peer-reviewed studies from PubMed, JAMA, The New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, ScienceDirect, Frontiers, and other indexed journals. Every citation links directly to the original source so readers can verify claims independently.
Clinical evidence tools: We use Open Evidence, a clinical research platform, to identify the strongest available evidence for treatment claims. This ensures our content reflects current research consensus rather than cherry-picked studies.
What we don’t do: We don’t cite pop psychology blogs, anonymous forum posts, or unverified health claims as evidence. When we reference statistics or treatment outcomes, they come from published research with identifiable authors and methodology.
Typical citation density: Our long-form articles include 5–15 linked scholarly references. We believe that if we’re making a clinical claim, we should show our work.
Our Editorial Process
Before publication: Every article is reviewed by at least one doctoral-level clinician for clinical accuracy, appropriate nuance, and responsible framing of mental health topics. We check that treatment claims are supported by the cited research and that language doesn’t overstate what the evidence shows.
AI-assisted writing: We use AI tools to assist with research organization, drafting, and content optimization. Every article is reviewed, edited, and approved by our clinical authors before publication. AI helps us work more efficiently; it does not replace clinical judgment. No article is published without a named doctoral-level author who stands behind its content.
SEO optimization: We optimize articles for search visibility using tools like Surfer SEO and Ahrefs. This means our content is structured to be findable, but we never compromise clinical accuracy for search rankings. If a keyword target conflicts with responsible clinical messaging, clinical accuracy wins.
How We Handle Updates and Corrections
Content updates: Mental health research evolves. When significant new findings emerge — updated treatment guidelines, new meta-analyses, or revised clinical recommendations — we update existing articles rather than leaving outdated information online. Updated articles display a revised date.
Corrections: If we publish something inaccurate, we correct it promptly. If you identify an error in any of our content, please contact us at contact [at] therapygroupdc [dot] com with the article URL and the specific concern. We will review it within 5 business days and publish a correction if warranted.
Transparency about limitations: Where research is preliminary, where evidence is mixed, or where our clinical opinion differs from consensus, we say so explicitly. We’d rather be honest about uncertainty than project false confidence.
Ethical Standards
As licensed mental health professionals, our content is governed by the same ethical principles that guide our clinical work:
No fearmongering. We describe symptoms and conditions accurately without exaggerating severity to drive appointment bookings.
No false promises. Therapy helps many people, but outcomes vary. We present research on what works, including response rates and limitations, so readers can set realistic expectations.
No pathologizing normal experience. Not every difficult emotion is a disorder. Our content distinguishes between normal human struggle and clinical conditions that benefit from professional support.
Responsible crisis content. Articles that touch on self-harm, suicidal ideation, or acute distress include appropriate resources and clear guidance on when to seek immediate help.
Independence and Transparency
We maintain full editorial independence. Our content is not sponsored by pharmaceutical companies, insurance providers, or any external organization. We have no affiliate relationships that influence our clinical recommendations.
When we recommend therapeutic approaches, the recommendations are based on the evidence and our clinical experience — not on what generates the most referrals.
Our practice is out-of-network with insurance providers, and we are transparent about this in our content and on our payment page. We believe readers deserve to understand costs before they invest emotional energy in reaching out.
Diversity, Inclusion, and Representation
Our content is developed with awareness that mental health experiences differ across identities, cultures, and life circumstances. We approach topics with cultural sensitivity, represent diverse perspectives, and avoid pathologizing culturally specific experiences.
Our clinical team includes therapists from varied backgrounds who specialize in working with LGBTQ+ individuals, BIPOC communities, immigrants, and other populations whose mental health needs are often underserved in mainstream content. This diversity of clinical perspective informs what we write and how we write it.
We periodically review our published content to ensure it remains inclusive and does not inadvertently reinforce harmful stereotypes or assumptions.
Questions About Our Content
If you have questions about our editorial process, want to flag a concern about a specific article, or would like to suggest a topic, reach out to us at contact [at] therapygroupdc [dot] com. We read every message.