I was recently made aware that therapists are blowing up on the video sharing platform, TikTok. I easily located a top 10 list of the most influential clinicians’ accounts in Cosmopolitan’s July 2020 issue and urge you to take a look for yourself. Sure, the players have likely shifted in the last year but the rankings aren’t the point.
Consider the transformative potential a globally successful platform presents the anti-stigma movement. If you work in the mental health field and still feel uneasy about the embrace of virtual treatment and other innovations, here’s my message: you didn’t beat them, so now you must join them.
The popularity of these therapists warrants our attention because TikTok acts as a breeding ground for viral content and trends among young people. Recently, the app has also been a vehicle for healthy activities like reading. In 2021, The New York Times reported that viral TikTok videos by young users discussing the emotional impact of books, tagged with “BookTok,” significantly boosted literature sales.
Now, let’s talk about the therapists.
As I immersed myself in #mentalhealthtiktoks, one account stood out: @theshaniproject , which boasts over 238k followers and a bio that begins with “Dope AF Therapist”. As a clinician of color, Shani is an essential voice in this space. We know there is a sizable treatment gap in minority communities, partly due to a lack of culturally competent therapists. Visibility for black therapists, “dope AF” or not, is desperately needed.
While these therapeutic influencers cannot replace actual treatment, they effectively introduce the concepts of self-care and treatment in non-threatening style. You’ll find highly watchable snippets of advice about taking care of your mental health and what therapy is all about. This light, playful approach is the perfect method of seduction for the young person with no experience or familiarity with the field. Scrapping the hard- sell invites engagement and broadens the tent–exactly what mental health advocates like me strive for.
Of course the marriage of TikTok and clinical advice is not free from controversy or disapproval from some corners. I can understand these feelings without sharing them. Adapting to TikTok’s format requires a significant shift in the traditional patient-provider dynamic.
For anyone who has engaged in psychotherapy over the past 30 years, the idea of a relationship where both parties are on equal footing can seem strange, if not unsettling. This disrupts the established therapeutic alliance, characterized by clear boundaries and roles—principles that have underpinned psychiatric practice since the mid-19th century.
Now is when we should look to the important lesson COVID taught: the adage “when one door closes, a window opens”, applies to our most fundamental human habits.
Surprisingly, my experience with teletherapy during the pandemic went exceptionally well—some might even say better than ever. Entering each other’s homes broke down the formalities we once thought essential for effective therapy. It turns out those formalities were not as critical as we believed. I made more progress with my therapist over FaceTime during COVID than I did in seven years of in-person visits. While several factors contributed to this accelerated progress, I believe the increased intimacy and informality played a significant role.
Whether you agree with me or not about the value of pursuing exciting new ways to expand treatment and diminish stigma, it is happening. The era of TikTok therapists and virtual treatment has arrived. There will be no going back because progress changes us from the inside out.
I would like to take this moment to welcome the newcomers into living the “examined life” as psychoanalyst Stephen Grosz calls one which includes therapy.
It is in this thoughtful space that meaning is discovered and embraced.
