The Rise of Therapy Speak

As phrases once reserved for therapy rooms flood timelines and everyday conversations, mental health language is becoming more visible, and more complicated. Crisis Line Manager at Netcare Akeso, Megan Gonsalves, unpacks how therapy-speak has shaped public understanding of mental health, where it empowers, where it blurs important lines, and why context matters more than ever

Megan Gonsalves notes that the rise of mainstream therapeutic language has contributed to a wider mental health vocabulary for many people, making it both easier to verbalise experiences and more “acceptable” to talk about them, including challenges. “It can also increase awareness and recognition of possible symptoms. At the same time, however, it can lead to labelling mental health concerns without sufficient understanding and can minimise or mischaracterise experiences when used out of context.”

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But where is the line between emotional awareness and the over-pathologisation of normal affect? “When considering whether an individual may need professional support, it is helpful to start by assessing how long the experience has been going on, how intense it is, and whether it is affecting normal daily tasks and responsibilities,” she says. Asserting that not all symptoms indicate a mental health disorder, but anything that is impacting your mental health negatively should be paid attention to.

Glamour: What risks arise when clinical terminology is removed from its diagnostic context?

Megan: When clinical terminology is used outside the clinical or diagnostic context, it can lead to inaccurate or inappropriate labelling of mental health concerns, which could delay access to the most appropriate care options. It can also lead to the use of terminology as a defence, an excuse, or even as an insult, such as calling a person narcissistic to describe rude behaviour.

Glamour: How does therapy-speak impact interpersonal conflict and relational repair?

Megan: Therapy-speak is traditionally grounded in a space of non-judgement and understanding. When used appropriately, it can help identify emotions and needs and facilitate deeper connection and conversation with understanding. However, you should avoid using therapy-speak as a label or excuse, or a way to blame or categorise another person. Instead, try to understand experience and context.

Glamour: Can misuse of psychological language reinforce cognitive distortions or avoidance patterns?

Megan: Yes, it can; language can become a behaviour that helps you avoid issues or maintain current harmful patterns. This can play out when words are taken as fact. In this way, language can reinforce an individual’s perception of their experience as factual without considering other contexts. It can also be used to avoid facing issues that are potentially harmful or difficult, as an excuse to avoid responsibilities, or to generalise experiences.

Glamour: How should clinicians respond when clients self-diagnose using online terminology?

Megan: It is important that clinicians do not respond in a dismissive or judgemental way. It is advisable to confirm whether the client is seeking answers or an explanation, but even more important is recognising what the online terminology means to them. This can then be used to help guide a deeper understanding of what is at play, and to serve as a starting point for education and a plan moving forward.

Glamour: Does therapy-speak promote empowerment, or can it undermine accountability?

Megan: This depends heavily on the context. Having greater access to information and terminology can certainly help someone feel more empowered in their mental health journey. It can encourage people to ask questions and seek an in-depth understanding of their mental health journey. However, if used as an excuse, it stops being a tool for growth and starts being a way to avoid accountability. The difference lies in how it is used, not in the language itself.

Glamour: How does social media accelerate the dilution or misapplication of clinical concepts?

Megan: Social media can be a tricky place to navigate, especially as it exposes one to laypeople's experiences, with little professional insight to balance it out. Social media content is generally simplified, and the content that makes a greater impact often stems from personal experience. However, experiences can sometimes lead to things being taken as generally acceptable – for example, one negative story overrides the 99 positive ones if the story is told in an impactful way. Sometimes social media content can minimise the value of a mental health professional by “normalising” symptoms and diagnoses thereby leading to people making their own diagnosis based on symptoms rather than assessment.

Glanour: What ethical considerations arise when non-clinicians disseminate therapeutic advice online?

Megan: While sharing lived experiences helps to minimise stigma, therapeutic advice from non-professionals can lack context and factual accuracy. In mental health professions, you are bound by a scope of practice, meaning you can advise or treat only within the limits of your training and competence. Non-clinicians lack this formal training and, as such, may offer more general advice that carries a risk of harm, as there is no opportunity to assess another person’s unique experience. Additionally, this type of content risks the exploitation of vulnerable people. People who are struggling may be desperate to find solutions, and content shared with false authority may seem competent in those cases.

Glamour: How can professionals reclaim nuance without alienating a therapy-literate public?

Megan: It can be useful to translate clinical terminology into more practical terms, making it easier for people to understand. Sharing that many disorders and experiences exist on a spectrum – in other words, that not all experiences will be the same – can help distinguish “normal” symptoms from those that may indicate a deeper challenge. Again, it is essential not to dismiss the client’s need for an explanation or their perspective, but rather to use this as an opportunity for education, context, and skill enhancement.