Stopping Scrolls: UNO Counseling Student's Mental Health Content Captures TikTok’s Attention

As you scroll through a sea of TikTok skits, lip syncs and vlogs, you might find a familiar face from campus. University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) student Rebecca Gómez Rascón has grown an active audience on the app through her mental health videos — but her story started long before she hit the red record button on her phone.

After initially beginning college thinking she’d one day pursue medical school, Gómez Rascón altered her path to pursue her mental health passions. Inspired by her own experiences in therapy, she felt called to help others through the treatments and techniques that got her through her own tough times.

That inspiration led her to an undergraduate degree in psychology at UNO’s College of Arts and Sciences, followed by graduate studies in the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences’ Master of Science in counseling program.

As she deepened her psychology studies, Gómez Rascón began to see beyond the modalities and theories and into the communities she hoped to one day serve. She realized that while she felt comfortable talking about mental health, there were still many members of her Spanish-speaking community that felt the topic was taboo. Recognizing that she could be a catalyst for change, she began using her TikTok as a channel to bring psychology concepts to people as they scrolled.

“I knew that people who still held that stigma were unlikely to seek therapy,” Gómez Rascón said. “So, I decided to bring mental health education directly to them.”

From short videos sharing positive affirmations, to trending tutorials where she explained mental health terminology while applying her makeup — Gómez Rascón's TikToks began to gain momentum. Before she knew it, her social media side hobby had burgeoned into an account with more than a million likes and 100,000 followers.

Gómez Rascón's positive impact radiates far beyond her social media portfolio. As part of her graduate studies, she works at the UNO Community Counseling Clinic providing Spanish-language counseling services to clients under the supervision of licensed faculty members. It’s a position she feels called to be in — and one that further strengthens her goal of one day working as a Spanish-speaking therapist.

“I plan to just keep growing my account, keep informing people, validating their emotions... and bringing that therapy to them,” Gómez Rascón said.