The value of advice from media gurus, unlicensed celebrities and self-proclaimed experts is subjective. There is nothing wrong with researching self-help information through the internet and media personalities. However, depending on your current situation a licensed provider may be needed and more beneficial long term. I will lay out some important points to consider when deciding to use the advice from these individuals to make life decisions instead of seeking professional therapy.
Unlicensed gurus usually do not have a professional board to make sure they are providing evidenced based information. They have no license to lose if their message causes you more harm than good. Licensed mental health providers must follow board certified guidelines put in place to cause their clients no maleficence. If any form of malpractice is committed there are strict consequences including the loss of licensure and even lawsuits. When one makes the choice to follow the advice from their favorite celebrities or social media personalities liability falls solely in the lap of the individual.
The golden rule of any good mental health professional is you do not tell your clients what to do. The purpose of a professional therapist is to be a sounding board for your clients, utilizing hours of clinical experience to assist them in improving their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. The most important skill of a qualified therapist is to be an active listener not advice giver. There is no blueprint for life. There are no absolutes. Several social media gurus claim to have all the answers people seek based only on their personal experiences and preferences. Picture popular cooks and chefs. They offer a thousand recipes and substitutes for one dish. It is dangerous to get caught up in the ideology that one person has the only right way of doing one thing. A good therapist will meet their clients where they are at and assist them in becoming better versions of themselves not a duplicate of someone else.
Therapist and media influencers are both not working for free. So many ask what is the real difference? Well, simply put, would you let a doctor operate on you that has no proof of training? A quick google search can provide a brief background on any mental health provider. What their licensure is, any malpractice lawsuits, suspensions, etc. Some therapists are even part of insurance panels, meaning your insurance company verifies these providers before adding them to their network. There is no such process for most social media personalities. So, they can sell as many books and merchandise from their platform without anyone being able to verify if they are legit. Their books and platform may say one thing, but their actual behavior “in real life” is the exact opposite. No one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes including licensed professionals. However, a provider should not use their personal thoughts, opinions, and preferences to guide their clients.
Let me provide an example. You do not have to be a former drug addict to assist someone in staying sober. However, how can an active addict tell another active addict you need to quit and proceed in telling them it is a simple task? If one has the ability to do something and they do not but make money off of telling others to perform this task, that is contradictory and misleading.
No one is an expert on all things. Therapist and mental health providers have specialties. Children, couples, adults, addiction, trauma, sex, etc. are a few examples. Many individuals need specialist and not just general information. Unfortunately, general info is more accessible and seems like an equivalent choice though it is not. Several social media personalities claim to have the steps for this and that, but limited and skewed data on the success rate of their clients/followers. Once something is viral it’s impossible to pinpoint how many people you reached and actually helped.
The mind is very delicate. A strict standard of professionalism is needed when dealing with individuals struggling with trauma and life altering decisions. In the mental health world, there are professional guidelines set up to make sure lines are not crossed. Most therapist do not have clients following any part of their personal lives. Self-proclaimed gurus are often attractive, flashy, likable or controversial. They often draw people to them who want to be where they are or already agree with their ideology. This is dangerous. Though a therapist does not tell you what to do, they professionally cannot tell you only what you want to hear to keep your payments coming. Too often some personalities build their platform exploiting a population that needs real therapy in order to heal. Advice giving has a price that a lot of givers are not accountable for. Many just cash your checks and better their lives. A lot of these campaigns draw people in, and people follow every word fact or fiction.
Self help gurus are great conversation starters and really express how many feel on a larger platform. I believe these individuals are necessary. However, general conversations and opinions should not be a substitute for professional therapy. One can bleed themselves dry buying books and merchandise that only offer short term solutions. For the legit influencers out there, they rarely falsely advertise themselves. Many extraordinary self-help advocates do exist. Beware of individuals that their message comes with a fee but little results. Exercise caution utilizing any methods that cause you to demean yourself and compromise your core values. Remember a skilled professional does not have to tear you down and humiliate you to help you. Most of all treat your mental health as important as your physically health. Do not fill your mind, body, spirit with misrepresented information.
I would also like to add motivational speakers to this discussion. Motivational speakers belong in their own category. Motivational speakers are usually able to uplift others using their experiences as examples. Most of these individuals may not be professional therapist but they rarely misrepresent themselves. They are upfront about where their advice is channeled from. Much like gurus their platforms become intertwined with their personal lives and they are expected to practice what they preach to maintain their followers. Motivational speakers can reach masses of people stimulating them to improve portions of their lives. Nevertheless, some changes require complex processing that only certain forms of formal therapy provide.
In conclusion I will be the first to say every therapist is not a good therapist. Finding the right therapist often takes time. Do not let a therapist you did not mesh with discourage you from seeking professional consultation altogether. Having a great therapist does not mean you can’t research self-help options via social media. Just make sure you do not substitute supplemental remedies for evidenced based care. Feel free to check out my previous post on the benefits of professional therapy.
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