Cohen Miles-Rath, MSW
Author • Speaker • Mental Health Advocate
"I want my experience to reveal the changes we can make and embrace the hope that comes with it. The hope I find after the attempted murder of my father. The hope I find after lying naked on a jail floor, shrieking at the terror in my mind. The hope that has been with me since I was a child." - excerpt from my memoir (coming 2025)
cohenmilesrath.com
cohenmilesrath.com
Cohen Miles-Rath, an elite runner and first-generation college student, attacked his dad with a knife. He thought he was saving humanity by killing Satan—the universe demanded it of him as the Prophet. However, he was deceived by mania and psychosis, and, soon after, was arrested at gunpoint.
Cohen’s love for his dad couldn’t stop mental illness from nearly destroying their lives. But effective intervention could have. He had been hospitalized twice. What went wrong? Since jail, Cohen has managed schizoaffective symptoms and substance misuse, confronted his painful past, and obtained a social work master’s degree. Now, he’s a mental health advocate.
Told through page-turning narrative, Cohen’s transformational journey—having overcome a maniacal, reality-shattering illness—will inspire hope in those seeking insight with mental health.
ABOUT
Cohen Miles-Rath is an author, speaker, advocate, and mental health professional. His work has supported mental health related policies such as workforce funding and education. He has facilitated over fifty training sessions, including Mental Health First Aid and Introduction to Trauma-Sensitive Schools. He has spoken to high school and college students, mental and behavioral health professionals, and elected officials, most notably Xavier Becerra, the US Secretary of Health and Human Services, at a 2023 Mental Health Round Table.
Cohen has shared his story and expertise for media including the National Alliance of Mental Illness blog and New York State Capitol press conferences. He holds a bachelor’s in sociology and communications from SUNY Geneseo, and a master’s degree in social work with a focus on community, policy, and political social action from Stony Brook University.
Cohen’s memoir, Mending Reality: An Advocate’s Existential Journey with Mental Health, is available for pre-order.
