Dr Steve A Johnson is a psychotherapist, university lecturer, international supervisor and researcher, specialising in areas including addiction, trauma and neuropsychology. Throughout his work, one challenge remains constant: how to communicate complex information clearly to more people without placing even greater demands on his time.
Today, HeyGen forms part of Steve’s approach to solving that problem.
He uses AI video to introduce lessons to university students, give clients techniques they can practise between sessions, translate material for professionals he supervises internationally, standardise research instructions, and create content for digital mental health experiences.
'HeyGen has become an excellent way for me to share that information,' Steve said. 'It helped me in a very precise way. It handles the jargon well and gets straight to the point.'
Making complex ideas simpler to understand
At university level, Steve is currently teaching five courses, a substantial workload that leaves little time for conventional video production.
He uses HeyGen to create a five- to 10-minute video at the beginning of each week that summarises what students are about to learn. When a particularly difficult concept arises, he can add another video during the week to explain it before moving on.
‘The students absolutely love it,’ Steve said.
Video has also proved useful outside the classroom. Steve creates videos demonstrating techniques that his psychotherapy clients can practise between sessions. Clients still receive written materials, but many also prefer having a video they can watch.
The format lets Steve distil complex information into something more direct without having to deliver the same explanation repeatedly.
‘My students don’t care,’ Steve said of using AI video. ‘They just like that I can summarise things. It’s the same with my clients. I can get straight to the point and help them make positive changes in their lives.’
Cutting hours of production with a simpler workflow
Before HeyGen, producing that volume of video wasn't practical.
Steve experimented with several tools and workflows, including recording audio separately and using Zoom. Producing a single video could take hours, particularly when he needed to re-record parts of it.
Translation presented another challenge. There was no quick way to produce high-quality versions in other languages without adding further tools to the process.
‘I was using three, four, five different kinds of platforms to do what I do,’ Steve said. ‘With HeyGen, it’s one platform.’
His workflow is now much simpler. Steve writes a script, edits it, imports it into HeyGen and creates the video.
That efficiency has made video practical, even whilst teaching five university courses.
‘Sometimes it would take me hours to make one, and then I’d have to redo it again and again,’ Steve said. ‘It drastically reduces the time required.’
Sharing knowledge across languages and borders
Steve's work also extends beyond the United States. He supervises professionals internationally, including people in Russia, India, Pakistan and other countries.
With HeyGen, he can translate his videos so professionals can receive information in their own languages whilst preserving technical terminology.
Steve was particularly interested in whether the translations could handle the specialised language required for his neuropsychology work. After asking Russian-speaking colleagues about the quality, he was impressed by their response.
‘It sounds just like we speak. Even the technical language,’ Steve recalled.
He also uses HeyGen in research to introduce instruments and assessments. Rather than relying on different people to explain a study to various groups, Steve can create a single video to ensure that all participants receive the same instructions.
‘It ensures consistency across those videos, so everyone involved in the research project hears the same information,’ he said.
Making his expertise available round the clock
Steve is also using HeyGen to make his expertise available beyond appointments and the classroom.
He creates digital mental health experiences that use short videos to help people address specific challenges, including reducing conflict between couples. HeyGen videos can be embedded directly within those experiences, giving people access to Steve's guidance when he is not personally available.
‘It’s helping people 24/7. I don’t have to be there,’ Steve said.
The content is also opening up unexpected opportunities. After watching videos from Steve's Psychology of Evil course, people approached him about turning his expertise into a book.
He has now received two offers to publish a book, which he is considering.
Meanwhile, Steve is revisiting older content on his YouTube channel, using scripts from videos made years ago and recreating them with HeyGen. He says the updated videos enhance the quality of his library, breathe new life into older ideas, and attract more views and channel members.
For Steve, the greatest benefit is ultimately freedom. By spending less time producing and repeating information, he has more time to explore new areas of treatment and discover new ways to help people.
‘It gives me the freedom to explore areas that I haven't previously had time to look into,’ Steve said. ‘It's allowed me to experiment and cast the net more widely, so I can try to help other people with different conditions.’
