Editorial Team
The GoodTherapy.org editorial team strives to provide compelling, accurate, and useful information about mental health, psychotherapy, and wellness to an ever-growing audience.
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Dave Ake Editorial Director
Dave left Southern California to join the GoodTherapy.org team in the summer of 2014. He is a writer, editor, self-described SEO ninja, and a former tank gunner.
After high school, Dave joined the Army and served four years as an M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank crew member. He was stationed in Germany for three years and spent a year deployed to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom II.
After the military, Dave worked as a newspaper editor and reporter before deciding to go back to school full time at Ball State University to double major in journalism and political science. After graduation, he left his home state of Indiana to begin his career in Southern California, where he spent a year and a half as a content developer for a website design company. Upon relocating to Olympia, Washington, Dave found GoodTherapy.org and brought a blend of technical and creative skills to the team.
As the editorial director, Dave applies the experience he gained from his time in combat, media, and tech to help his team grow and shape important conversations about mental health issues and their treatment.
When time allows, Dave loves hiking and being outdoors. He loves living in the green Pacific Northwest and is into almost anything that involves a challenging adventure, open sky, and at least a slight risk of personal injury.
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Rob Wieman Senior Editor
Rob brings a wealth of multimedia experience to his role as a senior editor at GoodTherapy.org, where he collaborates with leading experts in the fields of psychology and psychotherapy to develop authoritative, engaging content for The Good Therapy Blog.
During a publishing career spanning 15 years—including four years each at The Miami (Florida) Herald and The News Tribune in Tacoma, Washington—Rob thrived at every level of content production, spending time as a reporter, copy editor, designer, web content producer, and editorial team leader, often concurrently. He directed, helped direct, or contributed to coverage for teams that won more than a dozen top industry honors. Rob left the newspaper business in 2008, doing consulting work and serving as marketing director of a nonprofit for at-risk youth before joining the GoodTherapy.org team in 2012.
A proud Coug, Rob holds a bachelor's degree in communication (with a minor in criminal justice) from Washington State University, where he received the school's Achievement in Journalism Award. Despite growing up in Seahawks country, he's an unapologetic Denver Broncos fan. He's also a staunch animal advocate who enjoys playing basketball, backpacking, cooking, working out, live music and comedy, astronomy, road trips to nowhere in particular, awkward situations, tear-jerkers, documentaries, and the adorable antics of his two rescue cats/hairball cannons.
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Allana Schwaab Editor
Allana is a recent graduate of the Columbia Publishing Course in New York and is happy to be back on the West Coast as an editor for GoodTherapy.org. She graduated cum laude from Western Washington University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism (emphasis in news and editorial) and a minor in French. She was named editor-in-chief of the university’s newspaper twice, and rose to the challenge of leading a print newsroom successfully. She helped pioneer a digital-first approach to news at Western, and eventually turned a semi-weekly print schedule into a daily online one. With eyes like lasers for copy mistakes, Allana considers grammar her superpower.
Allana is also an avid traveler—only eight states left to visit! While in college, she interned at a publishing company in London and practiced her classroom French skills in Paris. She hopes to add many more countries to her passport book in the future.
Wherever Allana is, her 5-pound Maltese mix, Gidget, is not far behind. Outside of work, Allana enjoys spending time with Gidget, seeking out the best coffee shops, and reading as many novels as she can.
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Crystal Raypole Editor
Crystal holds a bachelor’s degree in English (with a specialization in creative writing) from Central Washington University. She worked on the editing and design teams for the student literary magazine, Manastash, and her work was published in the magazine several times. Since 2013, she has worked remotely as a writing assistant for CWU’s College of Business, where she is known as a stickler for grammar. Crystal is excited to share her editing and writing skills with GoodTherapy.org.
Her love of language does not stop with English: Crystal has studied Japanese for over a decade and enjoys translating Japanese fiction, lyrics, and graphic novels. She also writes fiction and poetry and loves reading, knitting, and baking. At all times, she has in her possession a book, a notebook, and at least three pens.
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Jo Sahlin Communications and Community Relations Coordinator
Jo graduated from The Evergreen State College with a bachelor's degree in communication. She served as an editor of the student newspaper and studied psychology, linguistics, and literature, which fueled her love for writing. One of her favorite experiences was the opportunity to study in France for 12 weeks.
Jo has been with GoodTherapy.org since September 2012 and brings her past experience as a GoodTherapy.org support team member and editor to her position as communications and community relations coordinator. In this role she manages GoodTherapy.org's social media, helps create and share GoodTherapy.org's educational content, and facilitates conversations about mental health on the web.
Apart from her job, Jo has both musical and administrative leadership roles in a women's barbershop singing organization, and is an avid blogger with a passion for music, philosophy, cooking, crafting, and anything French.