Hey there,

Welcome to The Census, your weekly roundup of what matters in behavioral healthcare.

This week, we’re doing something slightly different, and bringing you an untapped trend in behavioral healthcare.

We had a ton of fun researching this one, so enjoy!

- Shân

Reading time: ~2.3 minutes

P.S. This topic was a special request from readers who filled out our survey. If you want us to cover something specific, let us know.

✝️ Gen Z Is Religious — And It's Good News for Behavioral Healthcare Providers

Identifying with faith or a religion gives us better emotional well-being, a lower risk of SUD, and a higher chance of SUD recovery, studies show.

And perhaps surprisingly, the vast majority of American youths consider themselves to be religious.

Just not in the traditional way.

Here’s what’s happening.

Non-Traditional Religion is on the Rise

A recently published survey of ~10k Americans aged 13-25 found:

• 77% consider themselves to be spiritual

• 68% consider themselves to be religious

• 66% say their belief in a higher power overrides any doubts they may have

Religious youths were also way more likely to report their mental and emotional well-being as “flourishing” (check out those purple lines). 

But it’s key to note that the definition of ‘religious’ is changing. 

For Gen Z, being highly religious or spiritual doesn’t necessarily mean identifying with a particular tradition or institution. In fact, they feel they can fit in with several.

And this will impact behavioral health care providers. 

Let’s go deeper. 

Faith, Behavioral Health, and Gen Z

➡ The situation:

• The majority of youths identify as religious

• To them, religion is increasingly fluid and inclusive

• Religion has an enormously positive impact on their well-being

• Faith is a powerfully effective tool in behavioral health management 

➡ The catch:

Most faith-based behavioral health programs are highly dated, especially from Gen Z’s perspective. They’re stuffy, old-fashioned, and the opposite of inclusive.

• After all, this is the demographic coining the terms spiritual self-care, manifestation, and human design

Now before you tell us to GTFO, we’re not saying there’s no demand for traditional, religion-specific treatment programs (although, yikes).

But we are saying that modern spirituality is an untapped resource in youth behavioral healthcare.

And early adopters are likely to win. Big. 

We’re already seeing a rise in apps that leverage spirituality for mental health (example: Skylight), which shows the growing demand for a spiritual + mental health overlap.

How Behavioral Health Operators Can Get Onboard

We’d like to drive home the point that this certainly doesn’t mean avoiding traditional religions and practices. Rather, it’s about embracing spirituality in all its forms.

Bringing modern definitions of religion into treatment programs and mental health clinics is likely to attract adolescents — and improve patient outcomes.

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Here are two simple ways to do it.

🤝 1. Partner with existing digital players

We’ve seen a ton of digital-physical collaborations in behavioral healthcare recently. Many of these are public-private partnerships that aim to ramp up access to care for adolescents. 

As teens seek out spirituality, we’ll likely see a rise in partnerships that increase access to available tools.

Treatment providers could partner with existing (and popular) digital platforms like Skylight, Goddess, and Everything Spiritual.

🙏 2. Include activities that help teens connect to their spirituality

Many teens want to tap into faith and spirituality, but they don’t know where to start — especially if they come from highly conservative backgrounds or religions they didn’t connect with.

Treatment providers could offer a range of activities and resources to help patients discover spirituality in a way that works for them. 

Trending examples include sound healing, nature therapy, gratitude practices, and vision board sessions. 

That’s it for this Wednesday! 

We’ll be back with our usual coverage of the latest news next week, but if you enjoyed this special edition, hit reply and let us know.

- Shân

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