Writing
Jae L. Ross writes essays about the inner psychological experience of serious illness and the human questions it makes visible.
Drawing on decades of clinical work as a psychologist, his writing sits at the intersection of psychological wisdom and literary reflection. The central conviction underlying his work is that when an experience finds language, it becomes possible to live differently in relation to it. His essays are written for readers who are inside experiences that feel difficult to name—to offer language for what they are already carrying without instruction, and to accompany them as they find their own way.
This philosophy shapes his work across formats. In his reflective essay series Living Alongside Cancer, he sits with the felt interior of cancer—how it reshapes identity, relationships, roles, time, uncertainty, hope, and meaning. In more practical projects, including his contribution to Puneet Sharma’s Cancer24x7 handbook and a chapter he co-authored for HIV Psychiatry: A Practical Guide for Clinicians, the same philosophical grounding shapes how the writing meets its readers. What varies is the register. What remains is the underlying attention to the inner experience of the people the writing is meant to reach.
He is currently at work on a collection of reflective essays drawn from his work alongside people living with cancer and serious illness.
His essays have appeared on KevinMD, have been featured by OncoDaily, and are published weekly on Substack. His academic work has appeared in peer-reviewed journals spanning clinical psychology, mindfulness, and addiction.
Whether writing for professional audiences or the general public, his purpose remains the same: to help readers recognize themselves in experiences that can feel difficult to explain, find a different way of living in relation to them, and remember themselves beside what has happened.
That closing paragraph is worth retaining. It takes everything the page has established and returns it to the reader—which is exactly what your writing does. This hybrid version feels both more literary and more established than the current page.
Living Alongside Cancer
Reflections on the inner psychological experience of cancer—how people come to live with, and alongside, profound change.
A practical guide to understanding prevention, risk behaviors, and the psychological factors that influence adherence to diagnostic procedures and life-saving treatment.
Contributing author, Chapter 3 - HIV Stigma