Welcome to Week #2 of The Conversationalist Content Cycle!
This week we will be talking all about therapy, alternative types of therapy, and the therapy landscape for Gen Z.
To catch you up to speed on this week's topic: Therapy is trending, in more ways than one. Firstly, recent studies have found that Gen-Z is the generation that is most likely to seek support and be vocal about being in therapy. Secondly, therapy is changing thanks to the recent rise of online therapy programs and applications. Do both these things make therapy less stigmatized and ultimately more accessible? The therapy landscape might be changing as a result of our increasingly digitized world or it might be adapting to our generation's needs. Both are possible but still uncertain.
So here’s what’s on my mind:
1. Speed it up Doc!
Can we get the professional therapeutic help we need in just 30 minutes? Well, it turns it we actually might be able to! A recent 2018 study investigated a new type of talk therapy for young adults where each session was only 30 minutes long. The study was successful and they received testimony that 96 trial patients showed decreased symptoms of anxiety and depression. That sounds pretty sweet to me. It feels like there are never enough hours in the day to get everything done! If therapy can be under an hour, I can squeeze in an extra Friends episode - yes!
2. Pick up a paintbrush today!
Therapy is being introduced into high schools and colleges in new and inviting ways. Art therapy is used for younger children but also now for high schoolers. Art therapy is a mental health profession in which clients, facilitated by an art therapist, use art, the creative process, and the resulting artwork to explore their feelings, reconcile emotional conflicts, foster self-awareness, manage behavior and addictions, develop social skills, improve reality orientation, reduce anxiety, and increase self-esteem. A goal in art therapy is to improve or restore a client’s functioning and his or her sense of personal well-being. Researchers at the University of Washington found art therapy helped reduced stress symptoms among teenage girls specifically. Headaches are a common symptom of stress among young people and the study’s participants found a 40% decrease in experienced headaches after two weekly mindfulness and art therapy sessions.
3. Just texting my therapist, NBD
Therapy apps are on the rise and we can’t ignore the perks that they offer. Apps such as TalkSpace and BetterHelp, match you with a therapist that is specialized in the area that you are seeking help in. In 2018, TalkSpace launched a new affordable platform for teens from the ages of 13 to 17 years old. Before 2018, the platform was restricted to individuals 18 years old and younger but now with guardian consent, a teen can contact and build a therapeutic relationship with a licensed specialist. So now in 2019, it is normal and welcome to be texting one’s therapist.
4. Talk is cheap
Talk therapy aka psychotherapy might not be the only solution for mental health support. There are actually plenty of other types of therapy that involve much more than just talking. Mindfulness therapy practices such a yoga and meditation are practices that have proven to be very successful among Gen-Z. These types of therapy involve the body as much as they do our minds and that working on both together, significantly helps reduce stress and anxiety.
5. Regina George goes to therapy, so now I go to therapy
It turns out we are actually talking about therapy more with our friends and that’s a great thing. Gen-Z have been coined the generation that is desperate to avoid repeating the mistakes of those that came before us! From carrying out climate strikes across the globe to being more open and communicative about mental health, Gen-Z is on the right track to destigmatize therapy and promote better habits for ourselves and our world. The popularity of ‘therapy memes’ today is, in my opinion, a clear sign that there is less stigma around the topic.
6. Is technology the answer?
Therapy apps and virtual therapy are on the rise for Gen Z. People are starting to ask the question of whether they are effective or not, or even a viable replacement for traditional talk therapy. Therapy apps make therapy more accessible for those without an in-person option, however, some aren't sure if it's the best method across the board. The APA says that Telepsychology, be it by phone, webcam, email or text message, has been around in one form or another for more than 20 years, used most often by members of the military. But the explosion of smartphone users has created new opportunities for app-based companies to offer more accessible and affordable therapy. So this leaves us with the question: could therapy become trivialized to the point of not being effective? Is texting a therapist the same as receiving in-person support? Scholars are working on it, so to be continued.
