It’s safe to say that mental health is having a “moment” across social media. More specifically, TikTok is seeing a wave of influencers that focus on providing their POV and advice on how to deal with various mental illnesses, as well as provide empowerment to their audiences.
According to the Washington Post more than one in five teens and young adults report that social media is important for receiving support, feeling less alone, and expressing themselves creatively. Additionally, the hashtag #mentalhealth has 15.3 billion views and #therapistsoftiktok has 318 million in 2021 and will only increase from there.
There are two categories that these influencers can fall into; licensed professionals and mental health advocates (not licensed.) While TikTok is in no way a substitute for professional help by way of 1:1 therapy or medication, it can help others take the first steps in their mental health journey.
My Therapist Life (@mytherapistlife) 192.2K TikTok Followers
Aishia Grevenberg is first up in the licensed mental health professional category. Her approach to mental health and psychology focuses on learning self love by addressing and healing early childhood trauma, also called the “Psychodynamic approach.” A large area of her content focuses on how to address the generational points of contention between Boomers, Gen X, and Millennials and the psychology behind behaviors that are specific to these generations. She is outspoken, comical, and tuned into current trends, check out her series on the buzzworthy documentary about Teal Swan here.
Jesse Katches (@jesskatches) 388.2K TikTok Followers
While **not** a licensed professional, Jesse is what is called a “mental health advocate” influencer that pulls advice from his own personal experiences with mental health conditions such as OCD and anxiety. He encourages his followers to “let’s talk about our feelings” through relatable videos that touch on habits and rituals that can be a result from anxiety and/or OCD as well as how to help deal with them.
Lindsay Fleming (@lindsay.fleming) 516.5K TikTok Followers
Lindsay is considered a trailblazer when it comes to the de-stigmatization of mental health disorders with a concentration on ADHD & Anxiety in young adults. She helps followers break through the clutter and conflicting information around these common disorders and provides real-world examples of what ADHD and Anxiety can look like and the effect that it can have on individuals' lives through her platform on TikTok.
Chloe Hayden (@chloeshayden) 376.1K TikTok Followers
She is not a professional, but is someone who experiences Autism and ADHD personally. She hopes to bring awareness and help others not feel polarized in society because they communicate and experience the world differently. She is a published writer and model (she recently walked in Australia’s Fashion Week!), inspiring others who may feel like they are unable to achieve their dreams because of their differences, that it is possible to overcome and thrive.
Emily Cooper (@therapybyemily) 46.7K TikTok Followers
Young and relatable, Emily is newer to the mental health profession, but has 2 years experience and recently went on to open her own. Her work focuses on eating disorders, negative body image, disordered eating, anxiety, and depression. She believes that no one should determine their worth by how much they weigh or what they ate that day, and aims to help her clients and followers rediscover their worth, self-esteem, and confidence.
Mik B (@mikb_itme) 109.9K TikTok Followers
Mik lies within the mental health advocate group. She provides insight into her own life experiences with Bipolar Disorder and provides empathetic support through honest commentary and debunking common myths about BPDD. No topic is off limits from medication, to episodes, to dating with the disorder. She hopes to empower others to be candid with their struggles and to educate non-sufferers on how to be more understanding and informed.
Christopher Grant (@xoradmagical) 1.5M TikTok Followers
While Christopher, who regularly goes by his artist name xoradmagical, has a higher following on TikTok than the others in our list, he is doing something very unique with the world of #mentalhealthtok. He allows others to take a glimpse inside of his mind by creating art and videos that show what it’s like living with schizophrenia. He not only discusses his experiences, he creates videos that actually immerse you in what it is like being schizophrenic.
Maggie Lacioni (@therapywithmaggielpc) 277.9K TikTok Followers
Trained in Postpartum Support International on Perinatal Mood & Anxiety disorders, Maggie’s focus is working with women to help provide a safe space. Living by the motto, “human first and therapist second” she covers everything from trauma triggers, to overthinking, to low self-esteem in order to help her followers understand why they may be experiencing these things and how they can help themselves.
Dr. Courtney Pare (@drcourtneypare) 218.4K TikTok Followers
While not a board certified physician, Courtney is a holistic anxiety coach, naturopathic doctor, and speaker that takes her 9+ years of education and own personal experiences with OCD, Anxiety, and Depression to use to help others. She creates a safe space for others and provides more natural and holistic approaches to alleviating the symptoms of mental health disorders.
Shani Tran (@theshaniproject) 475.9K TikTok Followers
As a LGBTQ+ and BIPOC woman, Shani is particularly well equipped to provide advice and solutions for those who may be feeling alone in today’s world due to their illness and their perceived place in society. Per Shani’s website she believes that, “Most of Psychology comes from westernized thinking and most theories are by white men. That doesn't fit the population that I work with. I see a person first and then together we come up with goals for therapy.” While she does have a disclaimer on her account that TikTok is not therapy, she does use the platform to share helpful tips and provide guidance to mental health resources for her followers.