2023 Creators Summit on Mental Health
Learn more about the inaugural Creators Summit on Mental Health, hosted by the Center for Health Communication at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
The 2023 Creators Summit on Mental Health brought together mental health content creators dedicated to spreading evidence-based mental health information to their communities. Participating creators met with faculty at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health, built connections with one another, and received toolkits with information that they could take back to their communities.
Creators who participated in our April 2023 virtual summit engaged with experts and clinicians at Harvard and beyond to talk about cutting-edge research, emerging policy prescriptions, and critical new resources in mental health.
Later that year, some of these creators reconvened at the Harvard Chan School to
- talk 1:1 with Harvard faculty
- learn key evidence-based health communication principles
- connect with creators who share the same goals
- share their communications expertise with our campus community
Participating creators talked about what they took away from the summit with The New York Times.
The Center for Health Communication’s research found that exposing creators to summit materials increased both the amount and use of evidence-based mental health information on TikTok, leading to the launch of the Center’s ongoing Creator Program.
Meet the mental-health creators who attended the 2023 Creators Summit on Mental Health:
Nadia Addesi is a registered social worker and psychotherapist. She creates evidence-based mental health content where she shares education, tips and stories to help others in their healing journey. Her mission is to continue to raise awareness, create accessible resources, and end the stigma surrounding mental health.
Dr. Patrice Berry is a licensed clinical psychologist with 15+ years of experience. She specializes in trauma, adoption, depression, anxiety, and life-stage issues. Dr. Berry is a speaker, providing mental health awareness training and discussing faith and mental health. She’s also a social media influencer and author of Turning Crisis into Clarity.
I’m Divija Bhasin, a counselling psychologist and creator. I am deeply passionate about spreading mental health awareness in India through my content. I have also founded a mental health organization called The Friendly Couch where I connect clients to reliable therapists on my team. My videos include informative topics like mental health, social issues, feminism to general light-hearted comedy.
Victoria Garrick Browne is a TED Talk speaker, mental health advocate, podcast host, and former Division I athlete. She has been featured in The New York Times, The Players’ Tribune, E! News, People, Access Hollywood, and is the Founder & CEO of mental health nonprofit The Hidden Opponent, which was recognized as a standout resource for athletes by Kobe Bryant. Victoria now tours the country speaking at universities and high-schools to de-stigmatize mental health conversations.
Kobe Campbell is a Charlotte-based licensed trauma therapist, writer, and speaker. with a kind, compassionate, and energetic spirit She helps heal from their past and live lives they love. Kobe is the founder of The Healing Circle Therapy and Wellness Center in Charlotte North Carolina and hosts The Healing Circle Podcast with her husband Kyle Kobe looks forward to sharing her expertise with anyone willing to learn and grow.
Samantha Chung is a spiritual entrepreneur, top-ranking podcast host and life coach on a mission to help more people recognize and release their fearful programming to live fully as their authentic self. Her coaching style seeks to uncover who you were before you learned any limiting beliefs and conditions so that you can step into the most powerful version of yourself and attract anything.
Dr. Lauren Cook is a licensed clinical psychologist, keynote speaker, and company consultant. She loves speaking around the country to help create more mentally healthy workplaces and schools. Lauren owns a private practice, Heartship Psychological Services, where she serves individual adults, teens, and couples. She currently lives in Los Angeles.
I am a licensed therapist, private practice owner, Tedx speaker, and content creator. My clinical work is predominately with children, teens, and young adults struggling with ADHD and Anxiety. My work on social media focuses on de-stigmatizing therapy and mental health psycho-education for my over half a million followers.
Dr. Sasha Hamdani is a board-certified psychiatrist, best-selling author and entrepreneur who has channeled her media savvy into a global platform to advocate for mental health. She also founded WorldHarmonyOnline, a nonprofit organization serving to create a nonviolent and equitable world with access to technology, healthcare, and education for all.
Rachel is the bestselling author of Where the River Flows and fast-growing Substack publication, The Messy Middle. After 18+ years of therapy, an MS in psychology, and 5+ years of working with adolescents, she has made it her mission to make others feel less alone through honest storytelling, resource sharing, and community. Her motto is: “I’m not interested in Before and Afters. Show me the Messy Middle.”
Khalida Himes is a licensed clinical social worker who also holds a professional educator license. Khalida graduated from Fordham University in NYC with her Master’s degree in social work. Khalida is a school social worker and racial equity leader; she also owns a private practice providing counseling services. Khalida specializes in trauma informed treatment and is trained in eye movement desensitization and reprocessing.
Evan Lieberman is a mental health therapist and program director by day and content creator by night, doing his best to educate and entertain those interested in learning more about mental health and addiction topics.
Jaime Mahler, LMHC, is a licensed clinical psychotherapist in NY. She is a trauma specialist focusing on complex trauma with a heavy emphasis on supporting those who are healing after being in a harmful dynamic. She educates on complex trauma, relational trauma and religious trauma through her social media channels and her podcast: Unlearned. Her debut non-fiction book: Toxic Relationship Recovery, will be published Summer 2023. You can find her under the handle @RecollectedSelf.
Sanam is a registered counselling psychologist and founder of Conscious Psychology. Sanam is also a social media mental health content creator & strives to bring positive change to South Africa within the mental health sector.
Former fashion model. Solo Traveler. Inspiring millions of people through social media. Changing hundreds of lives through power of self-love as a life coach.
Whether it’s loving food, living with anxiety, experiencing hormonal issues, or just allowing myself to feel the profound loneliness that can set in every so often—I’ve always wanted to show people that we can be so many conflicting and beautiful things at once. Through intricate and expressive content creation I invite others to live each day wholly and honestly as themselves.
Haley Ostrow is a licensed clinical social worker from Pennsylvania. She is licensed in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey and has her own private practice where she specializes in working with women who struggle with anxiety disorders. She is a mental health creator on TikTok and Instagram where she shares educational content and destigmatizes anxiety.
Matthew Phifer is an expert in toxic relationships, narcissism, trauma, and emotional abuse. He is a therapist, author, speaker, and trainer, and the founder of Matt Phifer Coaching. His trainings, featured in various states and countries, attract millions of viewers. He also has a podcast called “The Matt Phifer Experience” heard in over 100 different countries, and he has been featured in various media platforms. He has two children and currently resides in Dallas, Texas.
I share my personal experience and journey with anxiety and panic, the things that have helped me, and what I’ve learned along the way.
I am a licensed clinical psychologist passionate about sharing expert mental health media and education related to childhood trauma, attachment and relationships.
Kate Speer is the CEO of The Dogist and a renowned mental health advocate. A skilled writer, speaker and marketing professional, Kate specializes in digital storytelling, social media marketing and social impact e-commerce. When Kate is not spearheading the team at The Dogist, she speaks and writes with brazen honesty about mental illness and her past experiences with a decade-long, psychosis-inducing misdiagnosis.
As a creator, writer, and speaker, Bryce Spencer-Jones has had the opportunity to become an inspiring voice in the mental health space. With a focus on self-worth, emotional grounding, and building a strong sense of self, Bryce draws from his own past experiences with social anxiety and selective mutism to inspire others, by creating space for authenticity and vulnerability.
James has been working with inner-city youth for over 20 years and also has become a content creator where he talks about men’s mental health and emotional intelligence.
Dr. Courtney Tracy is a licensed psychotherapist and clinical entrepreneur-turned-influencer who is known as “The Truth Doctor” to her multi-platform audience of over two million people. She specializes in substance use and co-occurring disorders and has been directing and founding licensed and accredited treatment centers in California for almost 10 years. You can find her social content at @the.truth.doctor.
Trey Tucker is a licensed mental health therapist, speaker, and educator who has worked with corporate leaders, professional athletes, actors, musicians, entrepreneurs, and various organizations to maximize their performance and results by improving their mental health.