May 1, 2023 – Post-pandemic, more people are seeking help from therapists, many for the first time and most often for dealing with stress, anxiety and depression, according to the results of a new national study. mental health survey Issued April 27 by Grow Therapy, an online marketplace offering access to mental health providers.
This is the second year the company has conducted the survey, and it produced very similar results to last year, said Shannon Tremaine, a company spokeswoman. “The most consistent thing was that in both years, therapists have noted increases in people seeking therapy. Stress, anxiety and depression continue to be the top three areas people seek help with.”
The survey questionnaire was posted to the platform’s private online community of some 5,000 therapists from February 28 to March 22, 2023, Tremaine said, with 266 responding. Respondents have private practice in 18 states and represent a variety of mental health providers, including licensed marriage and family counselors, PhDs, licensed clinical social workers, licensed professional clinical counselors, and licensed mental health counselors. license.
Survey details:
- Just over a third of therapists surveyed (34%) said anxiety and stress are the most common reasons people seek help, followed by depression (15%), trauma (9%), and romantic relationship problems (8%).
- Millennials, ages 27 to 42, are the most likely to be in therapy today. More than half of the therapists (53%) said that this age group makes up the majority of their client list.
- The majority of respondents (83%) said they have seen an increase in people seeking therapy for the first time. Compared to last year, 42% of therapists said the number of people seeking therapy “increased significantly.”
- Nearly all respondents said that the use of news and social media can negatively affect mental health. But only 8.3% said that all news consumption is harmful. Half said that spending more than a couple of hours a week on social media can be harmful, but only 4% believe that all social media is harmful.
- Help-seeking stigmas persist, but nearly half of therapists (47%) said open and honest conversations with family and friends, including positive feedback on social media, are important to normalizing help-seeking for Mental health.
- In addition to therapy sessions, therapists are more likely to recommend exercise (23%), time with loved ones (22%), time in nature (17%), alone time, or meditation (16%) or join a support group (11%) to improve mental health outside of sessions.
- Many vendors stressed the need to be patient with quick fixes; 87% of respondents said that to see results from therapy, it will typically take between two and 10 sessions.
expert commentary
Brian Wheeler, a licensed freelance social worker in Washington, DC, who was not part of the survey, said the results reflect his own practice, which is near Georgetown University. “I see a lot of college freshmen and sophomores seeking therapy for anxiety and depression.”
Anxiety related to going to college for the first time has been compounded by pandemic shutdowns, which have made students’ early college years far from normal, he said.
While social media can cause harm, Wheeler said it can also help. Social media comments like “You need therapy” can actually help attract some customers, she said.
Solutions?
Greg Wright, spokesman for the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), reviewed the survey findings and agreed that clinical social workers, like other mental health providers, are seeing increased demand.
Like other mental health organizations, the association calls for more access to care. The group, for example, is pressing for the approval of the Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2023.
“NASW has also supported more telehealth services during the pandemic and is pushing for greater license portability for social workers so they can more easily practice across multiple states, serving clients in states where there are shortages,” Wright said.
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