10 Therapists on TikTok You Should Follow

PUBLISHED Feb 21st, 2022 & UPDATED ON Nov 7th, 2022

The combination of TikTok and therapy is so gooood! Two of our fave things rolled into one. It’s like chocolate and peanut butter, or weighted blankets and naps, or procrastinating your work and scrolling through your FYP for three hours until you get the TikTok guy telling you to go outside. Okay, we def don’t recommend the third one, but the first two are pretty great.

TikTok therapy content is not a replacement for actual therapy. But mental health TikTok accounts can be a great way to learn about the topics! Or, at the very least, you can watch therapists make memes about mental health. Getting a meme with your educational info is a sweet two-for-one deal. Plus, if you see a really relatable vid, you can take that into your session and talk about it with your therapist.

Mental health and social media can also be a dangerous combo. It can give a big platform to someone who thinks they know all about mental health, but actually gives uninformed or harmful advice. Soooo, with that in mind, which therapists on TikTok do we recommend?

TikTok Therapists to Follow

For this list, we scoured the app for 10 of the best therapists on TikTok making funny, educational, and relatable content. In no particular order, let’s get into it!

Simone Saunders (@thecognitivecorner)

Simone Saunders is a therapist whose content on TikTok is largely based on healing from trauma. Her videos cover family trauma, relationships, and attachment styles, among other things. She also has TikToks that respond to viewer comments, explaining topics like feeling like an outsider and dissociative amnesia.

While she does cover the many difficulties associated with PTSD, she also touches on the less overt forms of trauma, like how childhood trauma can include the lack of good things that should have happened, rather than the presence of bad things. Definitely worth checking out if you want to learn more about trauma.

Hannah Fuhlendorf (@hannahtalksbodies)

Hannah Fuhlendorf is a licensed therapist, involved activist in many different causes, and suuuper informative content creator. She’s all about dispelling the myths created by anti-fat bias, advocating for body acceptance, and creating a fair world where fat people are able to have the same quality of life as straight-sized people.

If you’re looking for advice on how to take care of yourself as an activist, or wondering just how toxic diet culture really is (hint: it’s Britney Spears pop anthem kind of toxic), check out her account!

Dr. Justin Puder (@amoderntherapist)

Dr. Justin Puder is a licensed therapist and psychologist who’s all about managing stress and anxiety, the power of vulnerability, and the benefits of mindfulness. In his videos, he’s talked about the trauma of the deaths of his dad and brother, working through his OCD diagnosis, and using his experiences to inform his practice.

He also has a video on buying plants as a coping mechanism. It’s definitely not relatable, definitely not something we do, and deeefinitely not the reason we feel the need to steer clear of the houseplant section in every store (succulents might not fix every problem, but they fix the problem of not having a succulent, and some would say that’s a step in the right direction).

Sandy Tufts (@therapyghost)

Sandy Tufts is a licensed independent clinical social worker who uses TikTok to create a safe space for mental health information. She often makes videos responding to comments, covering topics like childhood neglect, hypervigilance as a trauma response, and mental health disorders like Bipolar Disorder.

She has a great multi-part series on therapist red flags. Her examples include your therapist insisting on you describing your trauma in detail, giving weight loss tips when body image concerns are brought up, and blaming a young person’s self-harm on puberty. Yikes. Yeah, those are red flags in anyone, but DEFINITELY red flags in therapists.

Dr. Carrie (@the.parent.therapist)

Dr. Carrie is a child psychologist who’s all about kids and ADHD. She posts tons of content for parents, like how to handle tantrums, the challenges of organizing ADHD kids’ schedules, and how to parent a kid with ADHD when you also have ADHD. She also makes content about setting boundaries with family, and shutting down body-shaming comments directed at your kids from your family. Yes yes yesss.

She also has a great video about bad ADHD advice as inspiration quotes. Taking away the shame around parenting struggles, while also making hilarious content?? Incredible. We love. We live.

Dr. Han Ren (@drhanren)

Dr. Han Ren is a licensed clinical and school psychologist who’s passionate about intersectionality, BIPOC therapy access, and anti-oppressive work. Her videos are honest and real, and address the sometimes hateful and racist reality of being a BIPOC person on a public platform. On her social media, she tries to show her audience the true, lived experiences of BIPOC people.

When she’s not addressing the unfortunate experiences of racism, her videos have a light and fun tone. Bonus points because they often feature her cute lil’ puppy!! The ones on cultural aspects of mental health and trauma are fascinating, and she’s just as educational as she is entertaining!

Dr. Kristen Casey (@drkristencasey)

Dr. Kristen Casey is a clinical psychologist who often works with business and entrepreneurs, but has lots of content about anxiety management, how to get a restful sleep, and what therapists really think during sessions. She has videos about the pandemic’s emotional toll, and how it has affected mental health workers. It’s an important reminder that therapists are humans, too, and feel the weight of the world just like everyone else. Knowing what we’re going through is part of what makes them great therapists!

Her videos are super informative, and she’s talked about the incredible steps that social media has made towards making mental health information accessible, but like so many therapists (and us!), she emphasizes that TikTok therapy content can’t replace actual therapy.

Dr. Kojo Sarfo (@dr.kojosarfo)

Dr. Kojo Sarfo is a Hollywood-based psychiatrist who posts videos on a range of mental health topics. He covers things like ADHD, eating disorders, and anxiety. Because of his own experiences with ADHD and low self-esteem, he creates a lot of content to educate people on the symptoms of ADHD.

One aspect of his videos is reassuring people that going to a psychiatric hospital is okay, that the staff are there to help you, and that patients are able to thrive after admission. The effort to destigmatize seeking help during mental health crises is amazing!!

Dr. Melissa Shepard (@doctorshepard_md)

Dr. Melissa Shepard is a psychiatrist and therapist who posts lots of educational content. She’s all about making affirmations work for you, learning to accept anxiety rather than resisting or avoiding it, and allowing yourself to struggle with your mental health. The idea that we’re not allowed to struggle because “someone has it worse“ is super unhelpful to everyone involved and had nothing to do with your situation.

Dr. Shepard has also made a really great video about making sure that your “Tik Tok therapist” is actually a registered therapist! She suggests checking their bio, website, or Googling their credentials. There’s a lot of false and misleading info out there! Check your sources, people!! And remember, a degree in TikTok Therapy is not a real credential!

Shani Tran (@theshaniproject)

Shani Tran is a licensed therapist who posts tons of high-energy content about running her BIPOC-owned and -staffed therapy office, dealing with Black trauma, and managing stress and anxiety. She loves dancing around and performing skits, making her approach to therapy all her own.

A big part of her videos are making sure people are finding the therapists that suit their needs, and that they’re getting the most out of their sessions. After all, you’re the one paying for the service, so you should be benefiting from it!

TikTok Therapy Content ≠ Going to Therapy

This content is all super fun and informative, but again, TikTok therapy content is not a replacement for real therapy! The right therapist for you will listen to your individual needs and act accordingly. Just because you recognize a symptom from a TikTok, does not mean you have that mental health disorder. Avoid the pitfalls of self-diagnosing, and make an appointment with your healthcare provider if you’re concerned!

But until you book that appointment, a couple funny mental health vids couldn’t hurt.