Relating to Millennial Clients

Millennials are seeking therapy at a rate faster than any prior generation. This makes them uniquely easier to reach. They are open to learning and accepting the process. However, even with these benefits, there are some things about treating millennials for mental health issues or life struggles that should be addressed. 

Millennials seek therapy more often than their parents. This means there are more millennial clients for you to work with. However, because this is such a unique generation, part of it or not, you will require some level of understanding to make the most of each session. 

5 Ways to Communicate With Millennials

Whether you are a millennial or not, speaking with millennials is not the same as it is with other clients. Compromising how you’ve always done things can go a long way. 

#1. Cut the Small Talk

Millennials are not fans of small talk. They seek intrigue quickly. Due to their constant access to videos and images online, many millennials have a shorter attention span. To react to this, you need to manufacture your methods to maintain engagement. How do you do that? Jump right in. 

Rather than making small talk when first interacting with a new millennial client, discuss something they’ve already brought up. Look at the information they’ve provided and why they decided to seek therapy and start there.

#2. Start Simple

As much as millennials seek information, start simple. There is so much noise online, and in the world, therapy should be a place to unpack and find solace. Keep it calm and take your time working with new clients. Before throwing tons of information at them, let them ask questions. This will also give you an idea of where they are mentally and emotionally. 

#3. Be Yourself

Millennials covet authenticity and transparency. They can feel when someone isn’t being genuine. When working with a millennial client, let yourself show through professionalism. Offer understandable metaphors and use humor if they are comfortable with that. Bonding over simple things that you truly enjoy, like a TV show or sports, can improve your relationship with clients and help them trust you.

#4. Add Technology-Friendly Methods

Social anxiety or not, millennials, for the most part, are not fans of phone calls. If that is the norm for making appointments in your practice, try to be more technology-friendly. Allow clients to make appointments via email or even text message. It will help them feel less overwhelmed and more accepted. 

Of course, you want to make every aspect of working with a client personal, but making the appointment and discussing things like insurance do not need a face-to-face meeting or a friendly phone call. Keeping these tasks as simple as possible allows clients to focus on their goals and self-growth rather than working up the courage to make a phone call. 

Offering more online methods of therapy is appealing for millennials. According to a 2009 feature in Counseling Today, accommodating the environment, despite the physical distance, helps millennials be more responsive, more involved, and more collaborative. 

#5. Respond Promptly

Like any client, millennials want to know they matter and are being taken seriously. However, something unique to millennials is that they are accustomed to instant gratification. From online shopping to online dating, they quickly get their answers and information. Going more than 24 hours without responding to a millennial client will feel disrespectful, and they may even pull back from their progress due to something like this.

Therapy Methods for Millennials

Although excited for therapy, millennials prefer more team-based techniques over more traditional methods. Millennials want to have a say in their care plan. They want not just their feelings taken into account but to work with their therapist as partners toward a goal, not a student-teacher bond. 

This means checking in with them regularly. You may want to take it slow and hear them out before offering guidance or new coping mechanisms but work with them. Ask them what they expect from therapy. You can explain your methods and style, but ask for their feedback and take it into account. 

After a session, ask them what they got out of it or what they wanted more of. Do they trust your judgment and guidance? What more or less do they need from you? By having these conversations, you encourage them to take an active role in their own wellness and show them that what they have to say matters and that you respect them.

Focusing on shorter-term care can also be a wonderful tactic. Many millennials want to focus on the present and face the issues in their life now. They seek methods for coping with current struggles that they can carry with them into the future. Mentorship or coaching makes a valuable approach for millennials because it provides them with the guidance they are seeking without overwhelming levels of deep diving.

At SokyaHealth, our therapy is always client-based, so our millennial clients feel seen and understood. When making a care plan, we take each client’s life experience and needs into account. We offer evidence-based interventions like peer coaching to spark similarities in clients who relate to each other. All of our resources are online to create a positive wellness experience as convenient as possible. Our millennial clientele feels most comfortable with this format because of their unique take on life. Our coaching program offers millennials a special form of therapy that helps them focus on their current situations and find strategies to work through them without excessive care they don’t want to engage with. At SokyaHealth, our priority is to ensure that our clients’ wellness journeys are both what they need and want them to be. To learn more about our care methods, call us today at (877) 840-6956.