Dr Monica Ross

Excerpt from Shadow of a Diagnosis

To be named is to be changed. It draws a line: before the name and after.

Before, I was difficult, artistic, intense.

After, I was ill.

A diagnosis doesn’t simply describe; it defines. It collapses a complexity into a category, a season of life into a code. It gives language to something once unspoken, and in doing so, takes something from it too.

For some, the name brings relief. For others, erasure. I learned the difference the hard way.

Shadow of a Diagnosis is the story of that difference—and what it costs to come back from it.

Author Bio

Dr. Monica Ross is a licensed professional counselor and digital health strategist specializing in trauma-informed care and behavioral health innovation.

She holds a Doctorate in Social Work from the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School, an M.A. in Counseling Psychology from St. Edward’s University in Austin, and a B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin.

Whether you’re designing a new care model, building a digital tool, or rethinking how we talk about healing—I’d love to hear what you’re working on.

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