Dr. LaPerla takes a more comprehensive approach to mental health and getting vital information to ... [+] masses of people.

When psychologist Nicole LaPerla started sharing some of her insight on Instagram to an audience of a few hundred, her only goal was to create the content that she needed on her own healing journey. That audience has now grown to over a million and a half strong, and LaPerla is sticking to her principles. Im very connected to my community, she shared with me. I spend a ton of time in the comments and the DMs, and that is what helps me create thing that might bring the most value.

Youve probably heard of LaPerla, or at least, seen her posts shared by one or more of your friends. Her work has gained a cult following for being, well, that good.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, LaPerla always knew she wanted to be a psychologist. Her fascination with the human mind and behavior, as she describes it, made it the perfect fit.

However, through her training, LaPerla found fault with the traditional mental health education system, citing the major problem being the disassociation between mind and body. Its focused on the diagnostic model, she explains, which means labeling symptoms as disorders. I was trained that all people can do is basically manage symptoms. I wish I had been taught more about trauma, epigenetics, and the importance of conscious awareness.These are things I teach every day now because they lead to immense healing.

The main issue with clinical psychology is there is a lack of empowerment.We are now showing people the power of choice, habit, and environment that they can change if they do the work.

She believes that trauma is at the root of our mental health crisis.

We have more mental health practitioners than ever, and yet mental health issues are on the rise, which is something we need to look at, she says. We are alsojust now beginning to talk about things like polyvagal theory to understand how trauma impacts the body and entire nervous system.Many of us are living in bodies that keep us stuck in states of disease, and we arent even aware of them.

LaPerla shared that she perceives the biggest mental health misconception to be that mental illness is a genetic chip that we are destined to live with forever. Our symptoms are powerful messengers from the body trying to get our attention, she said. Ive seen radical healing so many times from people who were told there was no hope.There is hope for everyone who commits to their healing.We need more practitioners speaking this truth.

Right now, LaPerla is leading that movement, and innovating the way we access information in the process.

Recognizing the natural and inevitable evolution of the digital age, she believes that the Internet should rightfully play a role in mental health counseling and the promotion of better education. Therapists are creating amazing content every day.Never in history have people had free access to such valuable content that can actually help them heal from things they may never even knew they needed to heal from, she said.

Its no secret that therapy is expensive and out of reach for many people.Of course, social media is no substitute for therapy, but it does give people tangible tools to create deep change in their life.

LaPerla recognizes that her field is at a pivot point. This is a very important time of waking up to the reality that we need a collective healing, she says.Its not something we can outsource to anyone else, though of course professionals can be a help to us on our journey.We need to be active participants in our own healing, or these numbers will just continue to rise.Thats the message I am passionate about getting out there.

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Nicole LaPerla, The Holistic Psychologist, Is Radically Changing The Business Of Mental Health - Forbes