Therapists are now using the platform as a way to offer support to their followers – just don’t call it ‘therapy’

In 2017, California therapist Lisa Olivera made her first post to her Instagram account. “I am here to share bits of wisdom, tools for well-being, and reflection on topics related to self-worth, vulnerability, shame/guilt …” she wrote beneath a selfie.

Today, her feed is followed by over 215,000 people, and represents just one of a growing subset of Instagram accounts run by licensed therapists and used to share mental health self-care tips and food for thought.

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Last month, this group was shaken when American media coverage of the movement referred to it as “Insta-therapy”, with one outlet extrapolating that in the future, therapy could mean “scrolling through Instagram rather than sitting in an office”.

According to an essay Olivera self-published on Medium, many people, herself included, took issue with the phrase “Insta-therapy” and the implications therein.

“‘Insta-therapy,’” writes Olivera, “is, quite frankly, not a thing.”

Therapy is a highly engaged relationship between a patient and a professional – it’s often of critical importance to those coping with mental illness, and can involve intense vulnerability. Therapists engaging directly with individuals through a social media site would be inappropriate and unethical.

The more accurate description of the work Olivera and her peers do online, then, may be Insta-psychoeducation.

The distinction is important. Therapists like Olivera, Nicole LePera (who has 644,000 followers) and Nedra Tawwab (109,000 followers), are sharing psychological insights that may be broadly useful to those interested in improving their mental health.

Some posts may define terms like “gaslighting”, or “emotional enmeshment”. Others may offer lists of traits commonly associated with codependency or anxiety. They may simply offer vague inspirational tidbits (random sample: “An important step for growth is giving yourself permission to grow.”)

Therapists on Instagram, Olivera says, are “changing the paradigm of therapy, offering support to those who might not otherwise have it, sharing supportive resources and tips on accessing therapy, and creating conversations around what it means to be human”.

They are not intended to treat or diagnose – which is for the best. As the American Psychological Association’s Dr Kathleen Ashton says in an email, “There is little evidence to support sharing advice over social media as being effective treatment for health conditions.” (The APA is currently working on professional practice guidelines for social media use.)

It can also be hard to separate those who have proper qualifications from charlatans: it’s up to users to determine the suitability of those whom they follow. Many also seem to blur psychoeducation with other wellness concepts, such as self-care or life coaching.

Yet the phenomenon’s popularity indicates many find it beneficial. Plenty of comments beneath posts demonstrate that if you relate to the content in question, you’re far from alone. The trend also destigmatizes and demystifies therapy, and conveys there is no shame in reaching out to a professional.

The ability to access low-barrier mental health information on Instagram can also be especially valuable to people from cultures in which therapy is seen as taboo.

“I think for a lot of people of color and people from other marginalized groups, therapy in general may still seem like a very weird concept,” says Atlanta-based psychologist Dr Joy Harden Bradford. Bradford’s organization, Therapy for Black Girls, offers its audience mental health resources in the form of articles and podcasts, as well as a directory of over 1,400 therapists.

On Instagram, Therapy for Black Girls posts are created with the intent to “help people understand the breadth and the depth of what therapy could be like … and how psychology is part of our everyday life”, explains Bradford.

“My Chinese culture is definitely not receptive of therapy and doesn’t see its value,” says Alice Ko. An entrepreneur and self-described “therapy and self help nerd”, Ko enjoys following therapists on Instagram for what she calls “pocket real-talk”, a sort of on-the-go alternative to reading self-help books.

“I often get in fights with family members when I try to describe the benefits of therapy,” she says. “I think that Instagram accounts are a really good way for people from these cultures to be introduced to therapy in a gentle way.”

That therapists using Instagram seems strange at all may amount to rapidly changing norms. “I was told it was safer to just not be on Instagram by my professors,” says 27-year-old Vancouver-based therapist Erin Davidson, who recently graduated with her MA in counseling psychology. “I didn’t really share that perspective. Just like how therapists are embracing different methods, like Skype counseling, using Instagram is part of the changing climate,” she says.

While Davidson’s center of employment has firm rules against therapists following clients back on social media, or even viewing client profiles, she’s able to share elements of her psychoeducation online, and often selects insights about her own particular area of interest: self-compassion. The message she hopes her followers take away from her feed is that “there’s nothing you have to do or buy to be a more worthwhile person”.

“Why can’t everybody learn about that?” she asks. “It’s applicable to everybody.”