Move aside dance challengers and lip-syncers, the Doctors are coming to Tik Tok.
Well, at least one is anyway.
Dr. Julie Smith of Hampshire, England, is bringing mental health mainstream. Like really, really mainstream.
The former National Health Service therapist joined TikTok about seven months ago. Her goal was to reach a wider, younger audience and encourage people to openly discuss mental health.
Her short and lighthearted videos are full of therapeutical advice and tips to help people cope with anxiety and stress.
“I realize this is a way for me to have an impact on so many more people, in a different way,” she told CNN. “Therapy is really, really valuable, but when I’m in my therapy room I can only help one person at a time. Whereas if I make a really informative video, then that has maybe a smaller effect but for lots more people.”
“Lots more people” is right! As of today, Dr. Smith has just under 800,000 followers on the popular social media app and over 7.5 million likes.
Dr. Smith’s simple videos are not only providing support to people around the world but also helping normalize conversations about mental health.
Check out her TikTok profile and her Facebook page to watch the videos.