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About The Author

Dana Cogan, M.D. is a clinical and forensic psychiatrist who opened a private practice in 1976 and retired in 2017. During his years of clinical work, he devised a method for treating patients using the metaphor of life as a journey. He found that the metaphor was easily understood, one that his patients could use to better understand their journeys and the problems they encountered along the way.

Dr. Cogan also worked as a child advocate in high conflict divorce. He evaluated families and recommended parenting plans in the best interest of children. He was one of the first evaluators in Colorado and had a significant impact on the format of evaluations that became the standard in his state.

Dr. Cogan evaluated and treated the criminally insane, assessed the parenting skills of adults accused of child abuse, and assessed the fitness of physicians for the Board of Medical Examiners in his state.

Additionally, Dr. Cogan educated judges, attorneys, and other mental health professionals. He gave numerous presentations, wrote dozens of articles, and served as a co-chair for major conferences, including the primary conference for legal and mental health professionals.

Dr. Cogan received an award for initiating a change in the divorce law that eliminated the term “custody” and replaced it with “parental responsibility.” He has served as a behavioral health therapist. Such a change was made part of the law in other states. Dr. Cogan also received an award for outstanding community service presented by the Metropolitan Denver Interdisciplinary Committee, of which he had been a member since its inception in the 1970s.