Ten years ago when the original In Treatment series premiered, the LGBTQ+ community and communities of color weren’t fully represented. Therapy is an important tool that has historically been inaccessible to individuals from marginalized groups and unfortunately, seeking out therapy is often stigmatized amongst POC communities. However, many mental health professionals from these communities are dedicated to providing mental health support and resources to people in need. HBO’s reboot of In Treatment serves as an example of why and how therapy is essential. The goal of our 2021 In Treatment social campaign was to destigmatize mental health and further emphasize that therapy is for everybody.
In support of the themes and characters’ experiences reflected in HBO’s In Treatment, we developed “Therapy is for everybody” to elevate conversations surrounding mental health, raise awareness of the topics depicted in the series, provide expert POVs, and provide resources to POC and Queer communities.
We selected a ‘council’ of mental health experts which included 8 organization representatives, therapists, influencers, and creators, that led the conversation by sharing how therapy and mental health play a part in their own lives. To start, we hosted a pre-campaign virtual meetup so that our council members could become acquainted with each other and celebrate their contributions to the community. We provided our council members with 6 custom assets and social prompts to share their journey with their communities and gave our council members a platform to further amplify their own voices. Five short, compilation videos and two roundtables hosted on Instagram Live brought important themes from the series to life. These compilation videos touched on topics such as “what to look for in a therapist” and “common misconceptions of therapy” and the IG Live rountables brought our council members together to engage in thought-provoking, educational conversations surrounding mental health.
Through our brand and influencer partnerships, we were able to authentically create a space for underrepresented communities to talk about mental health. This resulted in a dynamic mental health resource hub for our audience - particularly Queer and POC communities.
Through our “Therapy is for everybody” campaign, we created a safe space to have meaningful conversations surrounding mental health and drove awareness around the importance of therapy accessibility. Our total campaign garnered over 294,000 social engagements and the IG Live roundtable sessions received over 39,400 views. We partnered with 12 influencers (including council members and additional mental health professionals) and donated to 3 different organizations (Inclusive Therapists, LatinX Therapy, and Therapy for Black Girls).
