Mental Health in a Multi-Generational Workplace: Understanding the Unique Needs

Everyone has those little niggling things in their mind that they would rather be without. The little minutiae of day-to-day existence, the hustle and bustle of capitalist life, the stress of social dynamics and politics. Some people can handle these things better than others. Some have more control over how their brain interprets certain things and more ability to react consciously. When people can’t control these things, they end up with mental illness, imbalances and negative neurological pathways in the brain that control how we process information and how our emotions react to stimuli. 

Over time, knowledge of mental illness and how to handle or treat it has increased, with Gen Z counseling proving very prominent as modern people are more aware of their illness and the conversation has opened up about it. But what do therapists do with demographics less generationally inclined to pursue therapy or actively participate in it?

Baby Boomers (1946-1964)

Baby boomers are famously the least likely generation to seek assistance for mental illness. This arises from several things. The prominent reason is, ironically, likely the reason many boomers need therapy in the first place. The baby boomers lived through a lot of social upheaval. Combined with the population surge of this period, boomers come from a time when the world was changing around them, and they just had to deal with it to take care of their kids. Feelings weren’t something to talk about, they were private, to be hidden away while you took care of life and dealt with in private.

To appeal to this generation, it is important to appeal to their sense of cultural sensitivity and promote a sense of teamwork to reach their sense of autonomy. In getting them to open up, it may be worth enquiring about their area of expertise, actively encouraging involvement through certain exercises, or framing therapy as an opportunity for development and growth.

Generation X (1965-1980)

Generation X is characterized by a bigger desire for work/life balance than their boomer forebears. Where the boomers felt pressure to “get on with it” while keeping their feelings largely hidden, generation X is far more in tune with their mentality, and more comfortable in recognising the role it plays in their daily lives. They are often concerned with the state of the world, and somewhat skeptical of authority figures.

Gen Xers often value a sense of genuineness in place of professionalism. The freedom to express oneself openly and without airs and graces will go a long way to establishing a rapport with them. Gen Xers can often be reached through sympathizing with their career struggles, as this generation is likely to have had several jobs owing to their priority on work/life balance and unwillingness to deal with authority figures that take advantage of their labor. They also tend to value a sense of structure and direction during therapy.

Millennials (1981-1996)

Millennials build on the wellness initiatives spearheaded by the generation before them. They are often acutely aware of mental illness and the effect it plays in their lives and often have a deep understanding of who they are and who they want to be. Millennials typically seek a sense of personal fulfillment in their work, rarely working a job purely as a source of income, but also as a means of self-actualisation. Millennials are often stereotyped as weak or whining by older generations because of their willingness to openly communicate their feelings, emotional needs, and mental illness experiences.

Millennials highly value therapy, and for the most part, getting them to open up shouldn’t be too much of an issue, however where it is more difficult sympathizing with their socioeconomic position and stress can be a good “in.” It offers some alleviation and validation to their concerns and a sense of being “understood” in a world that so frequently seems to be against them. They are also extremely technolingual and respond well to technological supplements to therapy.

Generation Z (1997 – 2012)

Generation Z is, at this point, the most diverse and inclusive generation we have. They encourage absolute authenticity both in their personal and professional lives, are extremely sociopolitically involved, and have little time for any institution they perceive to be taking advantage of them. They are also very aware of their mental health and mental health trends, and are the most technologically capable generation on this list, having never known a world without computers, the internet, or mobile phones.

As the most capable lay-mental health advocates, Gen Zers are typically quite proactive in their mental health care, including therapy. They typically benefit from technologically forward approaches, such as video conferences, which can in turn then open avenues for family counseling with ease of access and use to all involved.

Considering Growing Up

In therapy, “cultural sensitivity” is the term used to define the practice of taking a person’s lived cultural experience into account during practice. Taking your patient’s generation into account is a kind of cultural sensitivity, as the events that happen throughout a person’s life are what have shaped them into the person they are today. There is a wealth of research and methodologies to effectively deliver therapy to each generation, all it takes is a therapist willing to implement it.