“Just Be More This TikTok Therapist”
A Narrative Inquiry of Social Workers’ Stories on the Influence of Social Media in Therapy
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21619608 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kellan Mcnally (0000-0003-4664-9414, MSW, MA, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA, corresponding author), Johanna Creswell Báez (0000-0003-3217-5502, PhD, LCSW, assistant professor and MSW director, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, USA), Lauri Goldkind (0000-0002-0967-3960, PhD, LMSW, professor, Fordham University, New York, NY, USA) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Publication date | 2025-11-11 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Families in Society The Journal of Contemporary Social Services (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1044-3894 • E-ISSN: 1945-1350 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/10443894251359325 |
| OpenAlex | W4416105402 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 67 |
Mental health discourse on social media is reshaping the therapeutic relationship between service consumers and social workers. This qualitative study examines social work therapists’ perspectives on how social media influences the therapeutic process. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 29 social workers providing psychotherapy. Using a narrative inquiry approach, the study explored therapists’ experiences with clients’ increasing engagement with social media. Key themes included (a) social media’s role in normalizing and destigmatizing mental health conditions, (b) shifting client expectations as “therapy consumers” shaped by online interactions, and (c) the challenges of misinformation as therapists navigate clients’ self-diagnosis and misdiagnosis. The study concludes with recommendations for integrating digital literacy, critical thinking, and a balanced approach to social media’s influence within therapeutic practice
Mental health · Misinformation · Narrative · Narrative inquiry · Qualitative research · Social media · Digital Mental Health Interventions · Mental Health via Writing · Social Media in Health Education · Social Work
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Communities of Practice
Data Feminism
Young People’s Online Help-Seeking and Mental Health Difficulties
Social media use in healthcare
Social Media and Mental Health
Health and Illness in a Connected World
Digital Rights, Digital Citizenship and Digital Literacy
Social Media Use in the United States
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The future of mental health care
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A systematic review of technology-mediated social work practice
TikTok style videos and mental health
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Social Media and Social Work
Using Expert Sources to Correct Health Misinformation in Social Media
Public Conceptions of Mental Illness in 1950 and 1996
Re-Imagining Digital and New Media Literacies in Social Work Education
Disability Expertise and Large Language Models
Young Black American Women's Social Media Use and Online Victimization
The Power of Social Media
Disability Expertise
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |