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Supporting Real Estate Professionals’ Mental Health During Firm Conversions and Mergers

UUnknown

2026-02-13

10 min read

Practical strategies for supporting agents during brokerage conversions and leadership change—employer and counselor actions to reduce stress and burnout.

When a brokerage conversions and leadership changes beneath your feet: why agent stress must be urgent during conversions and mergers

Brokerage conversions and leadership changes — like the REMAX conversions that added roughly 1,200 agents and 17 offices to the REMAX network and the leadership reshuffle at Century 21 New Millennium in late 2025 — create rapid operational, cultural and financial shifts that can overwhelm real estate professionals. Agents often face sudden technology migrations, brand realignment, commission and administrative changes, and uncertainty about their careers. These stressors increase agent stress, risk of burnout, and declines in performance and retention unless employers and counselors act quickly.

The essential problem: why conversions and mergers trigger mental-health crises for agents

At the top: mergers and conversions are not just business transactions — they disrupt routines, identity and income predictability. In practice this means:

Role and identity threat: Agents who tie status to a local brand or leadership can experience loss of identity and belonging.
Income instability: Changes to commission splits, referral flows and marketing support create financial anxiety.
Operational overload: New CRM platforms, branding guidelines and compliance demands increase cognitive load.
Ambiguous leadership: New CEOs or board restructuring (for example, Century 21 New Millennium’s appointment of Kim Harris Campbell and founder Todd Hetherington’s movement to chairman) can create mixed signals about strategy and support.
Social disruption: Office consolidations or remote-first shifts can fracture peer networks that previously provided emotional and practical support.

Recent examples that show how big-scale conversions ripple through agent wellbeing

REMAX conversion: scale, speed and the cultural shift

In late 2025, REMAX publicly announced the conversion of two large Royal LePage firms — adding approximately 1,200 agents and 17 offices to its platform. The conversion brought immediate benefits (marketing muscle, global reach, new tech) but also created stressors: rapid onboarding to REMAX systems, immediate alignment with new branding, and questions about localized business practices. As REMAX CEO Erik Carlson said, the move underscored brand strength and strategic direction, yet for many agents it meant change at the micro level — how they prospect, market and report day-to-day.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Vivian, Michelle, Justin and their sales associates into the global REMAX community.” — REMAX press release, 2025

Century 21 New Millennium: leadership transitions that affect morale

Leadership changes, like Kim Harris Campbell’s assumption of the CEO role and Todd Hetherington’s transition to chairman, create a mix of continuity and uncertainty. Hetherington’s ongoing involvement was framed as supportive, but agents can perceive leadership moves as potential precursors to strategic shifts that affect commissions, culture and decision-making speed.

“Serving as chairman allows me to stay actively involved and support Kim as she leads the company.” — Todd Hetherington, company statement, 2025

2026 trends shaping brokerage conversions and agents’ mental-health needs

Understanding current trends helps counselors and leadership build anticipatory support:

Consolidation continues: Brokerage mergers and franchisor-affiliations expanded through 2023–2025 and remain a major industry force in 2026, driven by tech platform consolidation and marketing economies.
Hybrid & digital-first workflows: Platforms and AI tools introduced during conversions increase efficiency but demand rapid tech learning and create digital fatigue.
Telehealth and workplace mental health integration: Since 2024–2025, more brokerages offer teletherapy and digital mental-health tools as part of EAPs; by 2026 these are expected baseline offerings for mid-to-large firms.
Focus on short-form interventions: Short-form interventions — Microtherapy, 6–8 session CBT tracks, and resilience microlearning fit the schedule constraints of busy agents.
Data-informed approaches: Employers increasingly use anonymized wellbeing metrics to guide interventions — but ethical and confidentiality safeguards are essential.

Employer-level strategies: how brokerages and leaders can reduce harm

When conversions are planned or announced, leadership must act as a mental-health steward. Below are concrete, evidence-informed interventions for employers and managers.

1. Treat the conversion as a staged change-management and wellbeing project

Build a cross-functional transition team that includes HR, operations, sales leadership and a dedicated wellbeing lead (a counselor or mental-health consultant). Map the timeline and identify high-pressure moments: system cutovers, contract deadline dates, and first joint marketing pushes.

Publish a transparent timeline with key dates and what agents can expect.
Schedule incremental system trainings before cutover, and offer recorded quick-reference guides.

2. Strengthen communications and reduce ambiguity

Ambiguity fuels anxiety. Give frequent, honest updates and provide a small number of consistent spokespeople.

Create an FAQ hub that addresses commission structures, branding timelines, data migration and support contacts.
Encourage team leads to hold small group Q&A sessions — psychological safety is higher in smaller settings.

3. Expand and modernize mental-health benefits

EAPs remain valuable but often underused. Modernize benefits to match agent schedules and preferences.

Offer teletherapy with flexible hours, and clear confidentiality assurances separate from brokerage performance data.
Provide brief coaching tracks (4–6 sessions) and direct lines to mental-health consultants during transition peaks.
Include practical financial counseling for short-term income shifts (tax planning, cash-flow strategies).

4. Train leaders in trauma-informed and change-aware management

Managers are first responders. Train them to spot burnout, escalate when needed, and manage their own stress.

6-hour workshops on psychological first aid, active listening and signposting to services.
Role-play conflict de-escalation and practice one-to-one supportive conversations that prioritize agent autonomy.

Peer support buffers stress. Preserve opportunities for collaboration and informal connection during change.

Organize small cohort onboarding groups that double as peer support pods.
Fund moderated peer-support forums with clear moderation rules and referral pathways to counselors.

Individual-level strategies: what agents and counselors can do right now

Agents need practical tools they can use between deals and show to leadership as low-cost, high-value solutions. Counselors working with agents should tailor interventions to short timelines and business realities.

1. Normalize help-seeking and short-term coaching

As a counselor or coach, offer a clear, low-barrier entry point: a 30-minute triage call to build rapport and create a brief plan. Emphasize confidentiality and action-oriented steps.

2. Provide a 6-session resilience track tailored to agents

Sample structure for counselors:

Session 1 — Triage, financial stress mapping, immediate coping strategies.
Session 2 — Cognitive reframing for uncertainty and imposter feelings.
Session 3 — Time and boundary skills for the digital, always-on agent.
Session 4 — Communication and negotiation rehearsals for new commission talks.
Session 5 — Relapse prevention: managing market and workplace triggers.
Session 6 — Future planning: career options, mentoring and skill-mapping.

3. Teach fast, actionable stress tools

Agents need micro-interventions they can apply between showings:

Box breathing (60–90 seconds) and 5-minute progressive muscle relaxation to down-regulate during back-to-back appointments.
Quick cognitive checks: identify the thought, test the evidence, generate an alternative. Keep a 1-page pocket worksheet.
Pre-call scripts to reduce performance anxiety for new brand/presentation calls.

4. Address financial anxiety with concrete steps

Money stress is a top driver of agent burnout. Counselors should integrate practical financial referrals into therapy plans.

Connect agents to short-term cash-flow planning services and tax advisors who specialize in commission-based incomes.
Use goal-setting frameworks: 90-day savings goals, minimum runway planning and contingency triggers for when to escalate support.

5. Build professional identity beyond one brand

When firms change, agents who link identity only to the brokerage are most vulnerable. Counselors can guide agents to strengthen a multifaceted professional identity.

Map out core competencies, unique selling propositions and transferable skills.
Create a 12-month career development plan with milestones that are independent of affiliation.

Training and continuing education recommendations for counselors (careers & CE focus)

Counselors working with real estate professionals should expand skillsets to handle high-velocity occupational transitions. Recommended CE topics and formats for 2026:

Brief, evidence-based interventions: Short CBT, ACT, and solution-focused modules adapted for busy professionals.
Financial therapy: Practical modules on financial stress, commissions, and entrepreneurship stressors.
Organizational consulting basics: How to partner with brokerage leadership to design wellbeing strategies and measure outcomes.
Teletherapy best practices: Asynchronous check-ins, secure messaging, and integrating digital mental-health platforms into care plans.
Ethics and confidentiality in employer-sponsored care: Managing dual loyalties and protecting agent privacy while partnering with firms.

Measuring impact: simple metrics leadership and counselors can use

Tracking outcomes keeps programs accountable. Use a mix of participation, experience and outcome measures:

Utilization: EAP/teletherapy uptake rates, workshop attendance.
Self-reported wellbeing: Brief validated scales (e.g., single-item burnout screener, PHQ-4, or Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-2) at baseline and 3 months.
Operational markers: turnover rates, listing conversion rates and client-satisfaction scores pre/post conversion.
Qualitative feedback: structured focus groups and exit interviews with agents about transition experience.

Practical templates: quick tools you can use this week

Manager 7-day check-in checklist

How are you sleeping? (scale 1–10)
What is your top stressor this week?
What’s one small win from the last 48 hours?
Do you need a referral to coaching, financial advice or counseling?
What administrative task would you like leadership to remove this month?

Agent 5-minute resilience script

Pause and breathe (Box breath × 4).
Name the stressor in one sentence.
List one fact and one assumption about it.
Pick one small action (call a mentor, schedule a 15-min consult, update a listing) and do it now.

Ethical considerations and confidentiality

When employers offer counseling, confidentiality and voluntary participation must be non-negotiable. Counselors must maintain clear boundaries, obtain informed consent about data sharing, and use aggregated, anonymized metrics if fed to leadership. Agents should be assured that seeking help will not affect licensing or brokerage evaluation.

Looking ahead: predictions for 2026–2028

Expect these developments over the next 24 months:

Wellbeing as a competitive differentiator: Brokerages that integrate robust mental-health support will retain talent and attract agents during consolidations.
AI-assisted wellbeing tools: Personalization engines will suggest micro-interventions and flag high-risk patterns — when paired with human oversight these tools will expand reach.
Short-form counseling will scale: Six-session programs tailored for transactional professions will become standard offerings in EAPs.
Stronger partnership models: Counselors will increasingly work as embedded consultants to brokerages during transitions, helping design onboarding and resilience tracks.

Final takeaways: a practical action plan for the next 90 days

Leadership: Launch a transparent transition timeline and a staffed wellbeing hotline within 30 days.
Counselors: Offer a 6-session resilience package and a free 30-minute triage call for agents affected by conversion.
Managers: Start weekly small-group check-ins using the Manager 7-day checklist.
Agents: Adopt the 5-minute resilience script and schedule a 15-minute financial clarity session.
Measure: Baseline burnout and utilization metrics now; plan a 3-month review post-conversion.

Why this matters now

Brokerage conversions and leadership changes will continue shaping the real-estate landscape through 2026 and beyond. The human cost — lost productivity, talent flight and mental-health crises — is preventable. By treating transitions as people projects as much as technical projects, brokerages and counselors can preserve livelihoods, strengthen resilience and build more sustainable practices for an industry built on relationships.

Call to action

If you’re a counseling professional, brokerage leader or real-estate agent navigating a conversion or merger, we’ve built a free toolkit with the 6-session resilience protocol, manager checklists and onboarding communication templates. Visit counselling.top/trainings to download the toolkit, book a group training for leaders, or schedule a free 30-minute triage consultation for agents. Let’s make the next conversion healthier for everyone.

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