Gen Z’s relationship to mental health has been well-analyzed, and it’s no secret why. Between social media, the pandemic, and mounting pressures from helicopter parents who track their every move, teens in the 2020s are having an experience that adults really can’t related to — and their mental health is showing the strain. And yet, according to a recent BetterHelp report, Gen Z is both more likely to talk about their mental health in online spaces, and the demographic most likely to say that going to therapy makes you mentally weak.
That was the stat that BetterHelp‘s chief growth officer, Sara Brooks, shared with SheKnows Teen Council members Greta and Juliet in the latest Teens at a Table: Executive Edition. “That is such an interesting paradox,” Juliet observed.
Brooks and the Teen Council members — also including 16-year-olds Anaïs and Clive — also discussed career advice and mental health tips, including how Brooks unplugs from her busy job (spending time outside!) and how she makes difficult decisions, both in her career and her personal life. Greta especially related to Brooks’ experiences of “analysis paralysis,” when she thinks too much about a decision and becomes unable to act on it. “I was connecting it to my life and [applying to] college right now and how much I’m prioritizing fun, how much I’m prioritizing academics,” Greta said.
Clive, meanwhile, spoke about BetterHelp’s process of matching therapy-seekers, including both teens and adults, with therapists that will meet their needs. As Brooks explained, this is done through an extensive intake quiz that gets into “deep personal questions.”
“In your life it can be hard to find these people that understand you,” said Clive, who noted that his grandmother is one of those people in his own life. Finding those connections is also “something you can do online that can’t be done in person,” he added.
Watch the full conversations, plus the teens’ main takeaways, in the video above.
Interested in joining our Teen Council or learning more? Email us at teencouncil@shemedia.com.