Social media, whether we like it or not, has an impact on the therapy world. In therapy, we often educate our clients about mental health, family dynamics, and emotional wellness. We normalize and validate experiences to create a platform for the work you come to therapy to do. Now a lot of that is also happening on social media, so that first part of creating a platform for the work starts happening outside of sessions or before you even start therapy. This can really add to the efficiency of therapy.
What’s helpful is when clients get high quality information and bring questions about it to session so we can work with you on unpacking how that information does or doesn’t apply to you and your family.
These are the top 3 Instagram accounts we refer clients to:
The Holistic Psychologist – @the.holistic.psychologist
We love this account because there is high quality comprehensive information about trauma, family dynamics, relationships, emotional and nervous system regulation. In addition to sharing helpful information on her account, Dr. Nicole LePera also has a podcast, YouTube channel, blog and a book that may be very helpful for our clients.
Somatic Experiencing – @somaticexperiencingint
This account curates excellent information from a number of different accounts that speak to body based therapies and information about self regulation, emotional health and healing trauma. Here you will find information about events and trainings, as well as helpful tips about how to cope using somatic experiencing techniques.
Big Little Feelings – @biglittlefeelings
There is a lot of information out there on parenting and the best sources are going to be ones that align with your parenting philosophy and your child’s temperament. But don’t stress… you don’t have to know what your “parenting philosophy” is, simply consider how posts generally align with what feels right to you. It’s OK for some ideas to feel activating at first, sometimes that means this is challenging and updating your beliefs. However, if everything feels like it has a rub for you, it might not be aligned for you and your family and that’s OK!
We love this one in particular because it provides helpful updates to some old school parenting techniques. Kristin (a parent coach), and Deena (child therapist/parent coach) are the two ladies behind this account and they are not only experts in their field, they are real moms dealing with the same real issues as every other parent. They are very relatable and help parents feel like they are not alone with their parenting struggles.
There will always be accounts on social media that share inaccurate information when it comes to mental health, so we encourage our clients to exercise caution when going online for guidance and help. That is why we are quick to share accounts that we find, and follow ourselves, that share quality, relevant information that can be helpful.
