US Jewish group launches 'TikTok therapy' for LGBTQ Orthodox youth

An advocacy group for young religious LGBTQ Jews has launched a project to provide mental health guidance tailored to the community on social media, in the first initiative of its kind, as surveys show that such youth in the US are at a higher risk for emotional issues and harassment.

The “TikTok therapy” video series will offer advice on topics such as how to discuss dating someone from the same gender with Orthodox parents, or navigating LGBTQ issues that come up in conversation at Shabbat dinners, said Jewish Queer Youth (JQY), a New York-based group that focuses on assisting young people from Orthodox, Hasidic and Sephardic homes.

Jeremy Novich, JQY’s in-house psychologist, will host the video series which will be posted on the group’s social media channels.

“Lots of youth don’t have access to a therapist who is both queer-competent and Orthodox-competent,” Novich said. “This is kind of a way of reaching and accessing those youth who don’t have those therapists.”

more...