✎ Written by: Dubravka Rebic
Back in the day, many people thought of TikTok as an app for teenagers doing various dance trends, but that perception has swiftly shifted, allowing us to recognize that there’s much more to this app than we realized.
Boasting 1.05 billion active users, TikTok has fast become one of the most popular social media platforms today. It offers people space for creative expression, and if we zoom in on mental health, the platform hosts a large community that’s sincerely discussing their challenges while also gathering licensed therapists that make people feel supported and less alone in their struggles.
In fact, TikTok videos with the hashtag #mentalhealth have gathered more than 83,5 billion views so far. That's not counting #anxiety, which has 28 billion views, or #adhd, with 25 billion.
In this article, we’ll introduce four accounts from mental health professionals who made a name for themselves on TikTok, sharing educational videos that are definitely worth watching.
It’s important to note that TikTok content will never replace therapy, but you can still benefit from the knowledge these licensed professionals share on social media for mental health awareness purposes.
1. Micheline Maalouf, LMHC, NCC
Follower count (as of May 2023): 1.1 million (@micheline.maalouf)
Subjects covered: Trauma, anxiety, PTSD, boundaries, people-pleasing
Micheline Maalouf is a licensed therapist who specializes in anxiety and trauma. She covers a variety of different mental health topics and focuses on a different one each month by offering handy therapy hacks you can do at home, from clever tools for stopping nail biting to activating the vagus nerve for reducing anxiety.
Some of our favorite Micheline Maalouf TikTok posts are:
If deep breathing makes you more anxious: Maalouf shows three things you can do to ease anxiety if you don’t feel comfortable with deep breathing exercises.
Trauma is relative: In this video, Maalouf answers how it is possible for siblings who grew up in the same home to have a different level of resiliency.
Helping a friend with a panic attack: Texting a friend who has a