The Cost of Cosplaying

There's a growing trend that deserves more attention: people cosplaying as mental health professionals.

I'm talking about people who position themselves as experts in attachment styles, anxiety, depression, neurodivergence or other mental health concerns, despite having no formal clinical training, supervision or licensure. They may have read a few psychology books, been to therapy themselves, or completed a weekend certification. While those experiences can certainly be valuable, they are not the same as being trained to assess, treat, and ethically manage mental health.

Imagine if someone decided they were qualified to practice physical therapy because they had recovered from a knee injury and read a few books on anatomy. Or if someone decided they were qualified to become a dietitian because they had successfully changed their own eating habits and read a few books about nutrition. Most of us would immediately recognize the problem. We'd ask: Who trained this person? Who supervises them? What happens if something goes wrong? Yet when it comes to mental health, those same questions are often overlooked. Confidence, charisma and a compelling social media presence can easily be mistaken for competence.

This isn't about putting degrees or academia on a pedestal. It's about scope of practice. As mental health professionals, we spend years learning not only therapeutic interventions, but also ethics, crisis management, risk assessment, cultural humility, and perhaps most importantly... how to recognize the limits of our own competence. We are accountable to licensing boards, professional codes of ethics, continuing education requirements and systems designed to protect the public. Those safeguards exist for a reason.

One of the most concerning arguments I hear is, "My clients love me," or, "I've helped so many people." I'm genuinely glad when someone has a positive experience. However, satisfied clients are not evidence that someone is qualified to provide mental health care. Harm isn't always immediate or obvious. Sometimes it doesn't become apparent until months or even years later. Positive testimonials cannot replace ethical accountability or clinical competence.

Confidence can make someone feel qualified. It cannot make them qualified. When another person's mental health is at stake, the standard has to be more than self-belief or positive reviews.