The Unexpected Burden of Being a Therapist on Social Media

Scrolling through Instagram, you've probably encountered posts from therapists sharing mental health tips, relationship advice, or insights about anxiety and depression. These qualified psychologists have built followings by making psychological knowledge more accessible to everyday people. But new research reveals that behind these helpful posts lies a world of stress, ethical dilemmas, and unexpected challenges that most followers never see.

The Double Life Dilemma

Therapists who become social media influencers find themselves living in two worlds that don't always align comfortably. In their professional practice, they maintain strict boundaries with clients, carefully managing what they share about themselves. Online, however, they feel pressure to be authentic and relatable, often sharing personal struggles to connect with their audience.

This creates a constant balancing act. How much personal information is too much? What happens when current or former clients see posts about their therapist's own mental health challenges? These questions weigh heavily on professionals who never received training for this type of public presence.

The situation becomes even more complicated when followers treat these therapists as their personal counsellors. Many report receiving hundreds of messages each week from people sharing traumatic experiences or expressing suicidal thoughts. While their training makes them want to help, they know they cannot provide therapy through social media, leaving them feeling helpless and emotionally drained.

The Mental Health Crisis Within Mental Health Professionals

Perhaps the most striking finding from the research is how much these online activities affect the therapists themselves. Many report significant anxiety, sleep problems, and burnout specifically related to managing their social media presence. The constant pressure to create content while maintaining their regular clinical work essentially becomes a demanding second job.

Negative comments hit particularly hard. Some therapists report losing sleep over criticism of their posts, while others face professional backlash from colleagues who view social media work as inappropriate. The fear of being reported to licensing boards creates ongoing stress about every piece of content they share.

Social media algorithms add another layer of pressure. To stay visible, therapists feel forced to create increasingly engaging content, often including videos or personal moments that make them uncomfortable. The platform essentially demands a level of performance that conflicts with their professional training and personal comfort zones.

Professional Isolation and Judgment

The psychology community itself often views social media work with suspicion. Many therapists described feeling judged by colleagues who see online influence as a departure from traditional practice. This professional criticism creates isolation precisely when these practitioners need support navigating new ethical territories.

The business aspect of social media compounds this tension. Therapists struggle with the need to market their services while maintaining their professional ethics. The line between education and advertisement becomes blurry, especially when working with vulnerable populations who may be financially struggling.

The Simplification Trap

Instagram's format forces complex psychological concepts into digestible posts, but this creates its own problems. Therapists worry that their simplified content might lead to self diagnosis or unrealistic expectations about mental health treatment. The platform's constraints mean that nuanced discussions about mental health get reduced to graphics and brief videos.

This oversimplification can backfire, making people feel invalidated when their experiences don't match the neat categories presented in social media posts. Therapists find themselves caught between wanting to help and fearing they might cause harm through incomplete information.

Competing Motivations

The research uncovered conflicting motivations driving therapists to social media. Many genuinely want to increase access to mental health information, especially given long waiting lists for traditional therapy services. They see their platforms as ways to provide immediate help while people wait for formal treatment.

However, these altruistic goals often clash with business realities. Even therapists primarily focused on social justice find that their educational content attracts potential private practice clients. This creates ethical tensions about profiting from what they intended as public service.

Finding Support in Unexpected Places

Despite the challenges, many therapists discover valuable community among other mental health influencers. These informal networks provide peer support that traditional supervision often cannot offer, since many supervisors lack experience with online professional presence.

This community becomes crucial for navigating ethical dilemmas and professional isolation. The connections formed with other social media therapists often compensate for the lack of understanding from traditional professional circles.

The Guidance Gap

Current professional guidelines for therapists focus primarily on personal social media use, leaving those with a professional online presence without clear direction. The unique challenges of influencer work require different considerations from traditional therapy practice, but professional bodies have been slow to provide specific guidance.

The research suggests several needs: specialized supervision for social media work, clearer boundary requirements, and specific guidance on combining therapeutic ethics with business marketing. Professional organizations need to better understand the pressures facing therapists in online spaces.

As mental health awareness grows and social media evolves, more psychologists will likely explore online influence as a way to reach wider audiences. The current research suggests this transition requires careful consideration of both benefits and costs.

Most therapists interviewed felt the positive aspects outweighed the negatives, but their experiences highlight the need for better support systems and clearer professional guidelines. Without these supports, the mental health field risks losing valuable professionals to burnout or seeing a decline in the quality of online mental health content.

The findings indicate that with proper guidance, supervision, and boundary setting, therapists can effectively use social media to extend their impact. However, the current landscape leaves many navigating complex ethical territories alone, potentially compromising both their well being and the quality of information reaching the public.

This research highlights important questions about how traditional therapeutic professions adapt to digital spaces while maintaining their core values and protecting both practitioners and the communities they serve. As this trend continues to grow, addressing these challenges becomes increasingly important for the future of mental health care.

White, E., & Hanley, T. (2025). “What I share is not the same as therapy”: Psychologist experiences of Instagram use as a mental health influencer. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice.