This therapist blew up on TikTok. Currently, she hosts her new suicide prevention documentary series on PBS.

Launch a TikTok channel that explodes with information-hungry followers on topics like if you’re a licensed therapist and how to find the right therapist or how to let your therapist know when they say something you don’t like what if?

for Shani Tranthe result was the role of hosting a new four-part PBS, as well as over 500,000 people and countless social media connections.
PBS
digital documentary Facing Suicide: Let’s TalkPBS Companion suicide to face doc will premiere on September 13th at 9pm.

The digital show will air on PBS’s YouTube channel throughout National Suicide Prevention Month in partnership with the JED Foundation, a national nonprofit focused on supporting mental health among teens and young adults. It immediately struck Tran’s mind. Episodes include “How do I ask for help?” and “How do I ask if I am contemplating suicide?” and “How do you find the resilience you need to keep going?”

“They found me through TikTok and when I said the topic was suicide prevention, I was immediately like, ‘Oh, I got on. I have a personal story about suicide and I’m thinking about it.’ I think there’s a lot of shame around people, and when you ask for help or share your feelings, you feel like you’re a burden to someone,” says Tran.

“And also because some people are afraid to tell a professional that they feel that way because they’re afraid to be in the hospital. They want to empower people, educate them, and tell them what suicide looks like.” Having a real story about how to ask for help is really important to me.

Tran has openly shared his mental health history, including two instances in which he experienced suicidal thoughts. One occurred when she transitioned from a highly social college life to a more isolated post-graduation life, and her other shortly after the birth of her first child.

Her blend of personal and professional experience has inspired her to add short conversation notes about resources and treatment to her TikTok videos.

“My phone started exploding and I was like, ‘Oh you want to know about this? I started supporting those who defended me.”

Among her followers, Tran says the majority of the feedback is positive, and they fall into two main groups.

“I didn’t know you could show up as a real therapist like that. Or the other area might be, “My therapist was late and I didn’t know it was something I could actually talk to them about. Healthy ways to conflict.” Thank you for giving me the tools to approach

But as social media advances, conversations can become more polarized. Tran is learning to handle situations like this.

“Sharing videos about cultural humility and black mental health might invalidate comments,” she says. “Or even share your own story as a black woman. I got a lot of backlash for sharing that, like, ‘Wow, why does race matter? Because I don’t want to feel like I have to explain the story.

“I think some people have trouble seeing their therapist as a human being,” she adds. “Some people want that from their therapists, but when therapists start being vulnerable in that way on social media, some people just can’t handle that element. It’s so tricky.”

As a professional therapist who navigates the blurred lines of society, Tran says he always has a few things in mind. It’s specific to the exact situation I’ve experienced with my client,” she says.

“And number two is one thing when you tell your own story. It’s okay to have backlash. If there is backlash, it is no longer a safe place for people to own their mental health. It’s just not the way you do it.”

Hollywood & Mind is a regular column at the intersection of entertainment and wellbeing, featuring interviews with musicians, actors, athletes and other cultural influencers who are expanding the mental health conversation and action. increase.