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Mental health has become an increasingly important topic in recent years. With the rise of social media, it’s now easier than ever to find people who are passionate about mental health and are sharing their stories and insights with the world. In this article, we put together 10 mental health influencers to follow in 2023. These influencers are all experts in their field, and they’re using their platforms to spread awareness and help others who may be struggling with mental health issues.
Ron Yap
Ron Yap, “Mental Health CEO” is a writer and mental health advocate/content creator. He educates his 190k Instagram followers on small steps they can take today to improve their lives and mental health. Ron’s passion for mental health advocacy started after he dealt with his own mental issues from the advice he received online. From that point on, he developed a passion for helping others with their mental health through social media.
Logan Cohen
— Balanced Man Plan (@BalancedManPlan) July 20, 2021
Logan Cohen is an author, Licensed Therapist, Trauma Coach, Influencer, and Socially Conscious Entrepreneur. He focuses on men’s mental health. After going through his own trials and tribulations, Cohen now dedicates his time and energy to helping men tackle their mental health issues. With a following of 287k followers on Instagram and 1 Million followers on Tik Tok, Cohen is able to make an impact through the short videos he shares on his platforms where he offers practical advice for people to improve their lives.
Dr.Saliha Afridi
Dr. Saliha Afridi is the clinical psychologist and founder of The Lighthouse Arabia, a Dubai mental health and wellness center. As a clinical psychologist with generalist training and experience in a wide range of mental health issues, Dr.Saliha uses her social media pages to share helpful tips and strategies for managing mental health, as well as insights into her own experiences with therapy.
Dr.Ramani Durvasula
Dr. Ramani Durvasula is a licensed clinical psychologist and the Founder and CEO of LUNA Education, Training & Consulting. She is also the author of several books including Should I Stay or Should I Go: Surviving A Relationship with a Narcissist, and “Don’t You Know Who I Am?”: How to Stay Sane in an Era of Narcissism, Entitlement, and Incivility. Dr.Ramani uses her platforms to help people overcome mental health issues by discussing how to spot toxic relationships and people as well as how to deal with societal expectations.
Nedra Glover Tawwab
Nedra is a relationship therapist who helps people improve their mental health by teaching them how to create boundaries in relationships. After overcoming her own trauma, she learned that a lack of boundaries and assertiveness underlie most relationship issues, so she went on to earn degrees and certificates to help others overcome their trauma as well. Nedra has appeared as an expert on Red Table Talk, The Breakfast Club, Good Morning America, and CBS Morning Show to name a few. Her work has been highlighted in The New York Times, The Guardian, and Vice.
HH Sayyida Basma Al Said
HH Sayyida Basma Al Said is a clinical counselor and hypnotist. in 2012, she founded a clinic that focuses on Mental Health in Oman, making it the first of its kind in the Sultanate. She pushes for creative ways to heal mental health issues such as art therapy and she started an anti-childhood bullying group called Young Minds. She also oversees @notaloneoman, an initiative to raise awareness of mental health issues across the Sultanate.
Dr. Emma Hepburn
Dr. Emma Hepburn is Clinical Psychologist who uses her popular social media platforms to help people overcome mental health issues through eye-catching, easily digestible doodles on Instagram. She is also a university lecturer who is passionate about bringing psychology and evidence-based mental health information that will provide people with practical steps to improve their mental health.
Dr. Jessica Clemons
Dr.Jessica Clemons, MD, is a Board-Certified Psychiatrist who’s been recently recognized by Forbes for her work in creating a priority around addressing mental health in wellness issues. Her primary work is in providing direct clinical care, however, she is on a mission to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness by using social media to educate her following.
She was featured on multiple networks as a mental health expert from CNN to ABC News and hosts a conversation series, #BeWell which has featured prestigious guests Swizz Beatz, Tobe Nwigwe, June Ambrose, Kerby Jean-Raymond, and more.
Micheline Maalouf
Micheline Maalouf is an Arab American psychotherapist and mental health advocate who aims to erase stigmas around mental health by sharing her wisdom via tips and tricks to help support mental health on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Her advice includes strategies she uses to deal with panic attacks in public places, discussing dissociation and depression, as well as using her platform to highlight just how common it is to struggle with mental health.
Ally Salama/EMPWR
Ally Salama is mental health ambassador who quickly became a prominent figure in the mental health space. He started by launching a Facebook page called ‘Break The Silence,’ where Egyptians could anonymously share what they were going through, quickly amassing tens of thousands of followers. Today, Salama has been listed on Forbes Middle East’s ‘30 Under 30’ list thanks to his mental health-focused platform EMPWR. EMPWR is an online magazine with articles covering everything from the stigma surrounding mental illness in the Middle East and coping with eating disorders during Ramadan, to grief and toxicity.