The Baby Boomer generation has recently made its way to the meme world, where Generation Z teenagers are exploiting the differences between their parents’ beliefs and their own. Mental, emotional and social health are topics that the current teenage generation and millennials are comfortable talking about. With that comes the embrace of therapy, counseling and psychiatry, but with older generations being generally more uncomfortable and averse to the topic of treatment, it’s harder for young adults to get the help they need. Therapy can be considered helpful, but is sometimes impossible due to the price, time and effort that it takes.

Not all blame is put simply on Baby Boomers’ closed-mindedness, and not all Baby Boomers reject these progressive ideas. Generations are a result of generations before them, as well as their environment. Teenagers today, though their digital literacy and awareness, are open-minded due to Millennial efforts and technology that has allowed for an easy platform to digest information, communicate similarities and learn more important news. 

Therapy specifically is something that has grown to have a whole new meaning than it did in previous decades. Therapy and things like it were a taboo, something meant for those who were “sick” or “troubled,” but now they’re seen as a healthy tool to improve mental health and quality of life, which were also topics seen as taboo until recently. Hiding your problems is not common anymore, so the idea of not being able to talk about your problems should not be either. 

Parents of kids or teens should be open to letting their child speak to a counselor and be transparent about healthy ways to deal with issues and cope with emotions. Instead of assuming that the reason is “sickness,” assume it is about “health.” Challenge what you’ve grown up knowing because times change, and nothing is black and white.