Children's entertainer Ms Rachel has revealed she has had "lots of therapy" over the years and discussed how cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) influences her music.
Rachel Griffin Accurso, known online as Ms Rachel, is an American educator and songwriter who creates videos focused on early language development, speech milestones, sign language and gestures for toddlers. Her videos have billions of views across hundreds of uploads and have led to a range of toys, books and an official album. She also posts on other social media platforms, where she focuses content towards parents.
Clues in her songs
In a recent TikTok video, Ms Rachel opened up about her mental health, admitting she has had "lots of therapy" over the years. She said "there are clues" about her learning from therapy in her songs, particularly one of her firm favourites, "I'm So Happy."
The lyrics include "My joy is in the way I choose to think", which she described as an illustration of classic CBT and rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT).
Ms Rachel said: "Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is so great - I think the book on it is called 'feeling good'."
What is CBT?
According to the NHS, CBT is a type of talking therapy where a therapist helps people change how they think and act. It can treat many different mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, PTSD, eating disorders, bipolar and personality disorders.
People can get CBT for free on the NHS for many mental health problems, and do not need to have a diagnosed mental health condition. In a typical CBT session, people talk about situations they find difficult and discuss how they make them think, feel and act. The patient then works with a therapist to work out different ways of approaching these situations, including questioning unhelpful thoughts, noticing emotions and changing routines.
Fans respond with gratitude
People were full of gratitude and awe for Ms Rachel after she spoke about her history with CBT therapy.
One person said: "I still don’t understand how this woman has spoken out more than other celebrities, she is a gem."
A second said: "She is a great person! I hope one day I can make enough money and make some kind of positive difference."
A third said: "You know what Miss Rachel is for kids, but I think a lot of us postpartum Mama's needed her too. we were caring for our babies playing her videos in the back and the music was soothing both of us."
A fourth added: "Literally! When I was in the thick of postpartum, every time this song came on while I was watching with my baby, I would get so teary-eyed. It was always such a sweet reminder to think happy and be happy."
