- Shabree Rawls posted a series of Tiktok rants urging men to increase their 'communication skills'.
- She was ultimately fired just days after receiving backlash on Twitter for her viral videos.
A Cleveland therapist who posted a series of TikTok rants explaining that Black men lacked emotional intelligence was fired - less than a week after the videos went viral across social media platforms.
In August, licensed professional counselor Shabree Rawls, 28, posted a video on TikTok to her then 148,000 followers in response to a Psychology Today article about men being increasingly lonely and single. Her videos following the original post were widely shared and debated on social media, and she ultimately was fired by the company she'd been working for since February.
"I've been telling y'all motherf—ers that y'all are going to be single for the rest of your f—ing lives if you do not increase your communication skills, emotional intelligence, or any of these things," Rawls said in her video referencing the Psychology Today article.
Black men make up "90%" of Rawls' clientele, and her main focus is building up the emotional intelligence of each client, she says in the video.
According to Rawls, her former employer was aware of her TikTok account, and her content had not been an issue.
Her termination over the social media posts isn't unique. Companies have cracked down on how much of their professional lives employees should share online.
As Gen Z professionals enter the corporate world, they are sharing more about their daily work lives to TikTok even in fields known for confidentiality, Bloomberg reports.
According to a July report from Insider, one TikToker who disclosed information about her salary to viewers was fired from her tech job due to the company's concerns about security.
—La Patrona ✨ (@_PanamaGold) August 13, 2022
A Wall Street employee was "forced to take down" TikTok videos over concerns about violating company social media policies after reportedly showing employees working in the office past midnight, according to the New York Post.
Rawls' video received nearly 100,000 likes and hundreds of comments. She told Insider that her account was meant to be a "community of people to support each other" as she documented her own mental healing.
In a follow-up video, she responded to a commenter who agreed with her stance. But after that video was reposted to Twitter, garnering over one million views, a debate ensued.
"She and her ANTIBLACK male ideology represents 80%+ of black women in America," one user Tweeted. "That maniac is a LICENSED psychologist!!!"
Less than a week later, Rawls was terminated from her job.
"I wasn't particularly given a reason," Rawls said in the interview. "I was surprised that they fired me. I thought I was going in for mediation because there was no previous warning – I was just fired."
@unusuallybree One door closes, 1 million others open✨ #imtired #storytime #bbtho #terminated #mentalhealthmatters ##fypシ ♬ original sound - Bre
In a video announcing her firing, Rawls blames Black men angry about her comments for contacting her employer and reporting her social media posts. She told Insider she understands that her tone could've been better, but doesn't regret sharing her message online.
Although she's taking a break from the internet for now, Rawls plans to use her newly grown platform to start conversations around mental health. Eventually, she wants to open a private practice.
"I got the Black community talking about mental health, and that's been my whole goal this entire time."