Cover On TikTok, some therapists offer their services in exchange for a fee (Photo: Getty Images)
On TikTok, some therapists offer their services in exchange for a fee (Photo: Getty Images)
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With more open conversations about mental health, some therapists have developed their business online, and made their help accessible to all, especially the LGBTQ+ community
There’s no shortage of “therapist advice” videos on TikTok, so much so that among the app’s various worlds, the #TherapyTok hashtag totals some 1.7 billion views. And this hashtag is not the only one to reflect this ever-expanding trend on the Chinese social network: #traumatok has 4.4 billion views, #therapy has 16.8 billion and #healingtok has 1.2 billion.
Many users take to social networks to discuss intrusive thoughts or try to find advice to improve their mental health, particularly on TikTok, the platform where young people of colour from the LGBTQ+ community say they feel safest. Since the pandemic, content offering advice or analysis of depression, anxiety and other mental disorders has proliferated online, both on TikTok and Instagram.
Since then, mental health, and particularly that of young people, has become a major topic—and one that’s being taken very seriously. “In the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by a massive 25 per cent,” the World Health Organization (WHO) said in 2022. “One major explanation for the increase is the unprecedented stress caused by the social isolation resulting from the pandemic. Linked to this were constraints on people’s ability to work, seek support from loved ones and engage in their communities,” explains the WHO.
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On TikTok, some creators don’t hesitate to use their professional knowledge to lend a helping hand to internet users. One example is TherapyJeff, who holds qualifications in marriage and family therapy from the University of Southern California and in child and family development from San Diego State University.
“These days, I spend my spare time making one-minute videos for TikTok and Instagram, and more in-depth content on Passes,” he says. The professional encourages everyone to follow him on his social networks to benefit from “relationship advice, tips, pep talks and other resources to maximise your mental health”—as mentioned on his official website.
Followed by over 2.7 million users, and with 71 million likes for his TikTok videos, the therapist turned creator has focused all his content on advice and analysis to help “save your relationships,” as his TikTok biography puts it. His success is also reflected in his Instagram account, followed by over 855,000 members, including celebrities such as actresses Emma Roberts and Lena Headey.
His videos talk about subjects like “5 responses that never turn out well when arguing with your partner”, “10 questions to find out if your new love interest has actually worked on themselves” and “It’s not your fault you have a secure attachment style”. And these videos give food for thought to users keen to make an appointment with the therapist: “When can I book a session?” asks one user in the comments under one of the therapist’s TikTok videos.
A lucrative business
TherapyJeff is not alone in offering his services online. Ben Cole-Edwards is also a big hit on TikTok, with a following of 363,000 and over 10 million “likes”.
His videos on various traumas and their consequences score thousands, even millions of views, and it’s not uncommon to see users requesting appointments in the comments: “Hey, Ben. Love your videos. How can I book an appointment with you virtually?”, says one user. To which the creator replies: “Drop me a message with your availability and I’ll check my diary and get back to you!”
On Instagram, the trend for therapy posts has also met with consistent success. Accounts such as selfcarewithwall have millions of folllowers, including stars such as Sophie Turner and singer Alicia Keys. Similarly, yourdiagnonsense, run by Todd Baratz, who describes himself as a therapist in his Instagram biography, is followed by 513,000 users, including the actress Nathalie Emmanuel (of Game of Thrones fame).
The account offers inspirational quotes and analyses of various disorders. And Baratz, whose posts score thousands of likes, is not hesitating to offer his services, with packages ranging in price from US$16.58 to US$40 per month (between HK$129 and HK$312). Far from being taboo, it seems that talking about mental health has become a lucrative business on social media.
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