Dr Steve A Johnson is a psychotherapist, university teacher, international supervisor and researcher, specialising in areas including addiction, trauma and neuropsychology. Across his work, one challenge remains the same: how to share complex information clearly with more people without placing further demands on his time.

Today, HeyGen has become an integral part of Steve’s approach to solving that problem.

He uses AI video to introduce lessons to university students, provide clients with 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 disseminate that information," Steve said. "It has helped me communicate with precision. It handles the jargon well and gets straight to the point."

Making complex ideas simpler to understand

At the university level, Steve currently teaches 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.

​“Students absolutely love it,” Steve said.

​Video has also proved useful beyond the classroom. Steve creates videos demonstrating techniques that his psychotherapy clients can use between sessions. Clients continue to receive written material, but many also prefer having a video they can watch.

​The format allows Steve to distil complex information into something more direct, without having to repeat the same explanation himself.

"My students don't mind," Steve said about using AI video. "They simply appreciate 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."

Replacing hours of production with a more streamlined workflow

Before HeyGen, producing videos at that scale 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 portions of it.

​Translation posed another challenge. There was no quick way to create high-quality versions in other languages without adding more tools to the process.

​“I was using three, four, five different platforms to do what I do,” Steve said. “With HeyGen, it’s all on one platform.”

​His workflow is much simpler today. Steve writes a script, edits it, imports it into HeyGen and creates the video.

​That efficiency has made video practical, even while teaching five university courses.

​“Sometimes, it would take me hours to make one, and then I would have to redo it several times,” Steve said. “It drastically reduces the time required.”

Sharing expertise across languages and borders

Steve's work also extends beyond the United States. He supervises professionals across the world, including those in Russia, India, Pakistan and other countries.

​With HeyGen, he can translate his videos so professionals can access information in their own languages while retaining 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 the way we speak, even when it comes to technical terminology," Steve recalled.

​He also uses HeyGen in research to introduce instruments and assessments. Instead of relying on different people to explain a study to different groups, Steve can create a single video that ensures 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 accessible beyond appointments and classrooms.

​He creates digital mental health experiences that use short videos to help people work through 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 helps people 24/7. I don't need 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 book offers, which he is considering.

​Meanwhile, Steve is revisiting older content on his YouTube channel, using scripts from videos created years ago and recreating them with HeyGen. He says the refreshed videos enhance the quality of his library, breathe new life into older ideas, and attract more views and channel members.

​For Steve, the greatest impact is ultimately the freedom it provides. By spending less time creating 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 had time to look into,” Steve said. “It has allowed me to experiment and cast the net wider, so I can try to help people with other conditions as well.”