83 TikTok therapy

TikTok therapy

Gen Z are turning to TikTok for mental health advice.

Mental health professionals are taking to TikTok to offer guidance to an anxious generation. Therapists use quippy videos with pop music and dances to answer questions about stress, trauma and therapy, and offer lists of ways to express emotions healthily—attracting millions of followers and views.

Licensed doctoral therapist Courtney Tracy’s TikTok account, @the.truth.doctor, where she addresses everything from intergenerational trauma to healthy ways to express rage, had 1.7 million followers as of December 2021. Licensed trauma therapist Micheline Maalouf offers tips in the form of self-soothing tools and signs of unresolved trauma to her 1.1 million followers.

In early December 2021, the TikTok hashtag #mentalhealth had 21.6 billion views, #therapy had 5.3 billion views, #therapytiktok had 447.5 million views, and #therapistsoftiktok had 357.6 million views.

Why it’s interesting TikTok is gen Z’s preferred app, with usage beating out Instagram and Snapchat. For a generation markedly open about mental health, gen Z are legitimizing the app as a source of bite-sized insight, education and professional counsel.