“It feels like free help and advice at my fingertips”: social media users’ perspectives on therapists as mental health influencers – a thematic analysis of open-ended questionnaire responses

Despite the popularity and reach of mental health influencer (MHI) content, research in this field is sparse. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceived benefits and disadvantages of following MHIs on social media. A thematic analysis of open – ended questionnaire data from 107 respondents who followed therapists on social media yielded seven themes. Themes expressing the advantages included (1) free and accessible content, (2) affective benefits (3) advice and information. Themes revealing perceived disadvantages included concerns about (4) the credibility of the MHI and their content, (5) unexpected exposure to emotive content, (6) misinterpretation and misapplication of content and (7) the lack of a personalised therapeutic relationship. While social media users find significant value in free, direct access to therapists and their content, they share several concerns about how the content is interpreted and applied in the absence of a personalised therapeutic relationship.