Hartley is built deliberately small. We would rather a few writers who deeply understand this material than a flood of contributors paid by the word. Every byline on Hartley represents a real person with relevant expertise.
Editorial team
Contributors
Hartley publishes work from writers across several categories of expertise:
Clinicians
Licensed therapists, social workers, psychologists, and psychiatric providers who treat adolescents and families. They write about clinical topics they have direct experience with, and they sign their names and credentials.
Journalists
Reporters with experience covering behavioral health, healthcare, education, or family issues. They lead our investigative cluster and our policy reporting.
Researchers
Academic researchers in adolescent psychiatry, psychology, education, and social work who translate emerging research into language families can use.
Family voices
Parents who have navigated treatment for their teens, and alumni who have been through treatment themselves. Their first-person essays are one of the most-read sections of the publication.
Domain experts
Insurance professionals, healthcare attorneys, educational consultants without referral conflicts, and others who bring expertise to topics outside the clinical core.
Individual contributor bios appear at the bottom of articles they write. As Hartley grows, we will add a contributor directory to this page so readers can find all the work of writers they trust.
Writing for Hartley
If you'd like to contribute, we want to hear from you. Hartley pays for original work — we are not a free-content site. Rates vary by piece type and length, and we are upfront about them when commissioning.
What we're looking for:
- Reported features on aspects of teen mental health treatment that aren't well covered elsewhere
- Clinical explainers from licensed practitioners on conditions, modalities, and decisions families face
- First-person essays from parents, alumni, or family members who have lived the material
- Investigative work on programs, practices, or systemic issues in adolescent behavioral health
- Practical guides on insurance, financing, finding clinicians, navigating school systems, and similar logistics
What we're not looking for:
- Promotional content for treatment programs (we'll decline regardless of how it's framed)
- Wellness theories without an evidence base
- Listicles, "5 things parents should do" content, or other formula-first pieces
- Pieces written primarily for SEO rather than for readers
How to pitch
Email pitches@thehartley.org with:
- A brief pitch (2-4 paragraphs) describing what you want to write and why it matters
- Your relevant background — clinical credentials, journalism experience, lived experience, or domain expertise
- One or two writing samples (links are fine)
- Any potential conflicts of interest we should know about
We respond to all serious pitches within two weeks. If we're not the right home for the piece, we'll say so quickly so you can place it elsewhere.
For clinicians who want to review (not write)
If you are a licensed clinician interested in serving as a medical reviewer rather than a writer, please see our medical review page for what that role involves and how to apply.
For families who want to share their story
If you are a parent, teen, or family member who has navigated treatment and you'd like to share your story, see submit a story. We work with first-time storytellers regularly and provide editorial support throughout. We also offer pseudonymous publication for storytellers who don't want to share their full identity publicly.