Mike Ray

Mike has interviewed hundreds of individuals and families affected by gambling addiction, collecting their stories with care and respect. Before joining Bettor's Health, he spent five years as a community journalist covering substance-use and behavioral-health issues, giving him extensive experience in narrative storytelling that centers lived experience while maintaining ethical boundaries.

He holds a Bachelor's degree in Journalism with a minor in Public Health. Mike has completed advanced training in trauma-informed interviewing, ethical storytelling with vulnerable populations, and narrative medicine techniques. He is skilled at turning raw personal accounts into structured, empathetic stories that educate without exploiting.

Mike's feature stories have been recognized by regional press associations and republished by behavioral-health advocacy organizations. He has led storytelling workshops for gambling-recovery peer groups and has collaborated with Gamblers Anonymous chapters to ensure accurate and respectful representation of the recovery experience.

All personal stories published under Mike's editorship are anonymized or composited unless the subject provides informed consent for identification. He verifies factual claims, clearly labels composite narratives, and never sensationalizes trauma. His editorial standard: every story must serve the reader's recovery, not the writer's drama.