Are Millennials the Therapy Generation?
Anyone born between the years 1981 and 1996 (ages 23 to 38 in 2019), is well thought-out a Millennial. Many of the individuals in this generation have parents in the baby boomer generation, that is, born between the years 1946-1964. Those born from 1997 beyond are a part of the new generation.
Nearly a section of the total U.S population, 30 % of the voting age individuals, and almost two-fifths of the working population consists of the Millennials
How is the Millennial generation different than previous generations?
Preceding generations or the "baby boomers" were all about living an easy life, living in the suburbs, working in the same company for many years, being secured financially, and having their own house.
Millennials, the generation now in their 20s and 30s, are very diverse from their parents and previous generations. They wish to live in big cities, change jobs, reside in rented homes, more health-conscious, be focused on self-care, get married late, and so much more.
Challenges faced by the Millennial generation
Millennials are pessimistic that they will never be able to excel in their lives like their parents. Some of the general challenges faced by this age group (23-35 years old) are:
Nervousness
Sadness
Debt of loan
Joblessness
Financial uncertainty
Technology obsession.
According to a study, 74 % of Millennials wish for a job that they enjoy. And different research shows that half of the candidates left a job because of mental health problems.
Millennials and loan debt
As per the findings based on a survey through The Harris Poll of over 2000 U.S adults, Millennials have a roundabout of $27,900 in personal debt. Due to a huge increase in college fees, most have become trapped under the weight of so much debt.
Because of such financial stress, they’ve ended up having loads of worry, have been not able to support themselves, and are seeking therapy to aid manage it all.
What kind of therapy are Millennials seeking?
The millennial generation is having a bad time at finding peace and be satisfied with their situations whereas baby boomers had a cheerful life. They are consistently finding for some type of mentoring, therapy, or consultation that aids them to have a healthy mind.
They’re not certain of their choices and the overthinking is causing them to find some kind of guidance to move successfully in life. Some of the ordinary therapies that the Millennials are finding:
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy(CBT) – It is an efficient therapy for treating numerous issues such as depression, anxiety, trauma, and more.
Psychodynamic Therapy – This therapy is concentrated on analyzing thoughts, enhancing self-awareness, and making a youth or child strong and more adjustable t the circumstances. The final goal is to help them live healthier lives.
Occupational Therapy – The therapy aids people to recover independence in many areas of life. Individuals choose this therapy to boost self-esteem and beat emotional and social fears.
Since this generation is so concentrated on making themselves better and ideal in each field, they talk openly and share their views on online platforms and also look for assistance without being afraid of people’s suggestions or comments. Millennials ask therapists and keep looking for experts who can comprehend them and believe seeking help will facilitate them to grow in their lives.
Are Millennials the therapy generation?
Millennials have been portrayed as the ‘therapy generation’. The majority of them have grown up with the notion that mental health is usual, is on a spectrum, and should be talked about. Many government campaigns have to lead to this result, such as Time to Change, which focuses on retreating mental health stigma.
The flare-up of social media and the internet, in common, has helped to ease this conversation, with many feeling more confident to talk about their mental health through social media platforms and in online chatrooms as it gives them the secrecy and distance to feel safe in sharing such close details.
Millennials are also a generation that is deeply interested and devoted to self-improvement. We are a generation addicted to tracking our progress and our health via the use of apps on our phones, smartwatches, even hand-drawn routine trackers. We want to identify how other people live, how the triumphant people live, and imitate them - and very often we have unfettered admittance to such information through interviews published online, celebrities sharing their lives through youtube and other social media platforms, and so-called gurus sharing their keys to victory and happiness.
While I concur that millennials are open-minded about therapy, what are their expectations? They usually enter therapy prepared to be open about the challenges they are having, but are they comfortable with feedback? I think it is essential to explore what they perceive therapy to be, as well as what good therapy looks like. We require to engage millennials in therapy in ways that they can acquire, but what people want from therapy is not always aligned with the finest approach to personal growth and self-improvement.
If you are a millennial finding treatment, you must ask yourself, “am I up for the voyage?” Many millennials distinguish therapy as helpful, and they come in with high hopes about its effectiveness. Their expectations of how rapidly therapy is going to cure them, though, can be impractical. They naturally need advice and practical solutions early in treatment. The wish for solutions is genuinely good, but the method of finding the best solutions for them is a harder and longer journey. Getting them to stay past a handful of sessions can be a dare. Some of them attach it out. Some of them work through the tricky emotions and dig deeper into the underlying reasons for their anxiety.
Whether or not someone chooses to go on the expedition in therapy relies on many factors. Among the most significant, especially for this generation, is the individual’s readiness to explore their decisions, mistakes, and failures. For a generation whose parents mainly provided positive feedback and praise, this can be hard to undertake. Many of them have never had to query themselves because their parents stepped in and solved some of their problems. So, now, they may be looking for their therapist to assist them to do the same. But it isn’t that easy. We must comprehend our choices and take accountability for them before we can grow in our insight into how to make diverse ones. Admitting that sometimes we will do our finest and still make a decision that we regret is part of the growth process. Thus, therapy includes growing out of avoidance and into personal accountability.
This type of journey can be tough for many people, not only millennials. But many millennials find it unbearable and not worth doing. They want therapy that’s rapid, efficient, and that strengthens their ideal self. Good therapy, perceptive therapy teaches people to believe their choices, learn from them, and add them into their development of identity. This type of growth can be uncomfortable. That means you come back to therapy once a week, and it’s not always something you happily expect. You will leave some sessions feeling worse than when you initiated. But as you advance through the journey, you see changes in yourself.