I have an MSW and I’m a Registered Social Worker. I work with those dealing with anxiety and emotional dysregulation. Those who are trying to find themselves after being in an abusive relationship and those who are dealing with trauma. None of that seems to matter unless I can package it into a cute online post.
Apparently, healing and growth don’t exist unless they perform well on Instagram.
I believe in accessibility. I believe that social media can reduce stigma and help people feel less alone. What I don’t believe in is the need to turn complex PTSD and childhood trauma into “content” three times a week.
As a social worker, my job is to sit with discomfort and look for cues to see if the nervous system is regulated or not. Social media wants me to be concise, upbeat, consistent, and algorithm-friendly. It’s hard to translate what I do into short little reels that are cute and catchy.
Try acknowledging that sometimes therapy is slow, boring, and uncomfortable. And God forbid you take a week off posting. The algorithm doesn’t care that you were holding space for clients in crisis or doing it to maintain your own sanity. It just assumes you became irrelevant.
There’s also something ironic about a profession rooted in anti-capitalist values being nudged to “build a brand.” I entered it because people are hurting and systems are failing them. But now I’m supposed to ask myself things like, What’s my niche? and Is my tone warm but authoritative?
So I’m returning to posting, begrudgingly. I took a long break from it but it has hurt my ability to get clients and help those who need it, so I’m back at it again. I do have some boundaries though: I refuse to pretend healing is linear or cute. And I absolutely refuse to dance.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a caption to write that says everything and nothing at the same time.
