Talk therapy for male mental health

 A QUALIFIED MEMBER OF (BACP) THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION OF COUNSELLORS AND PSYCHOTHERAPISTS TO ENSURE YOUR SAFETY.

As a dedicated male therapist with specialised training in male psychology and mental health, I am deeply committed to addressing the unique challenges faced by men in this area. It is alarming to note the significant lack of funding for male mental health services. Through my additional training with the Mankind Initiative, I discovered that many vital male mental health charities operate without government support. 

Please see my blog 

    .

Although research on masculinity remains limited, it is gradually improving, and evidence suggests that a man's perception of his own masculinity is linked to better mental health. Help-seeking behavior evidence does show that men continue to seek talk therapy less often than women. It is crucial we find effective therapeutic approaches to connect and meet men where they are, acknowledging the positive aspects of their masculinity while addressing their needs in the counseling setting. 

From my experience, a high percentage of male clients have not had vulnerability modeled to them and this could be pinpointed to family and societal expectations. They receive mixed messages. In 2021, a phew research study found that 45% of men under 35 years of age feel uncertain about what society expects of them, with many citing conflicting messages about masculinity as a source of stress. 

 Alongside other comparable reasons, men are also disclosing fears surrounding, shame, masculinity, professional responses and attitudes, fear, threats of violence and coercion especially regarding access and custody of any children as reasons for not reporting their experience of domestic abuse (Mankind, 2019).

Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) strength-based approach is particularly appealing to men because it focuses on what they are doing well and how they can build on those strengths.

Many men prefer the calibration style of SFBT, which focuses on solutions. Instead of feeling like they are being overly judged or analysed.

Very often men are looking primarily to resolve the difficulties they are wrestling with and move on, which is why to some men, talking therapies and traditional counselling can be off putting. 

The male preference for ‘shoulder to shoulder’ rather than ‘face to face’ communication can be more greatly utilised in encouraging more genuine therapeutic connections with men and boys  (The British Phsycology Society, 2024)

Of course, this is not the case for all men and it's important not to stereotype. As as a male therapist, I am pleased to offer my integrative (more than one type of counselling modality) therapy.  For example:  at times there is a great benefit and a need delving into the past, subconscious and particularly if there has been a trauma or traumas.  

 It's important that the correct form of therapy (different modalities) is appropriate to a particular form of psychological issue or it can cause more harm than good. For example, if a person were to arrive at the hospital with a 'broken leg' and was only given painkillers, of course, it would help with the pain short term, but the painkillers would not help the root cause of the pain. If a person were to receive cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) but had an extremely traumatic childhood, the CBT (which is more surface level) may help short term (pain killers) but it would not help deal with the root cause, trauma (broken leg).