As we approach May, the digital landscape is about to be flooded with green ribbons and “check on your mental health” content. It’s Mental Health Awareness Month, which, in the creator/influencer economy… It’s the Super Bowl for mental health content.

Your feed will likely be a battleground for your attention promoting self-care strategies, tips, and infographics on how to “set boundaries” and “regulate your nervous system” presented as a simple but unrealistic process. A process that does not build in the ups, downs, and messiness associated with change and growth.

But as intellectuals and professionals, you know that information is not the same as integration. There is a massive difference between a social media reel or post that makes you feel “seen” for sixty seconds and the clinical work that actually moves the needle on your life.

So, as we approach mental health awareness month, it’s imperative that you practice discernment as you engage with mental health marketing content and content creators.

Types of Mental Health Content Creators 

To navigate Mental Health Awareness Month like an informed consumer of content, you need to differentiate between the four voices currently vying for your attention, your psyche, and your engagement (i.e., like, comment, subscribe, share, etc):

The Influencer Without Credentials or Minimal Experience: 

Their primary relationship is with the algorithm and themselves. They are masters of the “parasocial” dynamic where you feel like you know them and you feel like they see you and are narrating your personal experiences and private thoughts. In these cases, it’s important that you remember that you are engaging a curated persona. One developed to sustain your engagement on the platform so the platform can advertise to you.

Influencers often use their personal lives as the primary case study. While relatable, they may lack the clinical experience to understand the risks of the advice they broadcast to millions. There are some influencers who do this well. While they are not credentialed as mental health professionals, they have found a mental health related issue and made that the focal point of their content. Those who do it well make it abundantly clear that they are not credentialed and if they have minimal experience, they don’t feign expertise. Those who are a bit unscrupulous  promote cures, quick-fixes and simplified advice that induce shame and frustration because you know what to do and are not doing it. They create situations for you to “look up to them” and wish you had what they have, etc. They promote themselves as the barometer for what is right and proper and make you believe you can achieve what they have achieved if you follow them or their content.  I’m not saying that they are sinister, however, I am encouraging you to be aware that you are seeing and consuming an effective marketing strategy and collaboration to keep you on the platforms that pay them without them having to have an actual relationship or responsibility toward you.

The Practitioner (The “Practicing” Clinician): 

Their primary relationship is with the client. They are often less “viral” because deep expertise is hard to boil down to a 15-second soundbite. They are protective of the therapeutic space and rarely give blanket or general advice online because they understand that human behavior is highly nuanced and context-dependent. Also, they are very strict about confidentiality. They will speak generally about a concept and avoid speaking directly about a client experience in a public forum. They have licenses to protect. They will have an online presence, but mainly as a way to build visibility and encourage you to seek a consultation if their expertise match your needs. You’ll sometimes see that they provide content that is educational. In the field we call this psychoeducation. This means education about a psychological concept that is drawn from research, clinical trials, and what has been proven over time… not personal or anecdotal advice or experiences.  Most times, the practitioner is not encouraging engagement beyond booking a consultation or downloading a resource because the marketing goal is to use social media to invite potential clients into actual relationships. They are in the relationship with the platform as a means to an end, which is different from the influencer whose end game is to keep you on social media.

The Hybrid (The Educating Clinician):

These are practitioners who have also stepped into the creator space. They have relationships with clients, platforms, and some larger systems. They have had years of clinical practice and are utilizing social media to amplify their thought leadership and leverage it into speaker, consultant opportunities, and payment from the platforms they occupy. Typically they use psychoeducation to do this. You will notice that they do not have openings for new clients. Also, their primary income stream is not social media, which allows them more flexibility than the influencer. They aren’t trying to get you to mimic their lifestyle; they are trying to sharpen your tools. They provide frameworks, mention nuances, and have disclaimers in their posts. They still have licenses to protect and are sensitive to the parasocial relationships that are forming and feel some responsibility to ensure that relationship remains safe by keeping their most private thoughts for real-life relationships. You are engaging with the professional persona that is guided by a professional code of ethics.  Following a code of ethics is what differentiates the influencer from the hybrid influencer.

Artificial Intelligence (AI):

AI tools are the new “affirming” friends. AI is programmed to be pleasing and engaging. It will often validate you to keep the conversation going and align with whatever perspective it senses you have. Its goal is to make you more of the victim if you think you are the victim or make you more superior if you want to be superior. It is the ultimate, “yes person”… think of the “whatever you like” line from the movie, “Coming to America,” where the bride from the arranged marriage was trained to like whatever Prince Hakeem (played by Eddie Murphy) liked. AI is the bride in this scenario. It does not  challenge your blind spots unless you prompt it to do so. The end game is to support you, and while that can feel good… it may not always be what you need for growth.

Remember, there is a lot of information out there and during this Mental Health Awareness Month. So, as an informed consumer of mental health content, services, and marketing, I want you to interrogate your sources. Use wisdom as you consume content and be careful about who you trust with your mental health.