Therapy for Men
Do you feel numb to emotions?
Do you either feel angry or neutral and nothing in between?
Are you often feel reactive?
You struggle to express heavy emotions and this is affecting your relationships and daily life. You don’t have a support system you can turn to because you worry people will dismiss your experience or tell you that you are overreacting. You were always told to keep your chin up and figure it out.
If I could just find the words to communicate what I am feeling, things will be better…
You wake up in the morning after a fight and see your partner sleeping next to you and you want to apologize and caress their face like you usually do. Instead, you don’t say anything and get ready for work. You ruminate on the fight from the night before all day, but you continue to stay silent. You come home and your partner has made dinner and you both eat quietly. You bring up your work day and a conversation starts. You want to bring up the fight but don’t have the right words. So, the conflict isn’t discussed and you both shove it under the rug. Slowly but surely, the resentment towards each other grows.
As men, we are taught that there isn’t space for us to be vulnerable and open up, especially in black and brown communities.
Men are raised to shoulder the weight of the world and family and this is exhausting and lonely. Black and Brown men are taught to persevere, be resilient, and find a way to manage their anger as that is the only acceptable emotion to show. The toll on mental health is alarming.
Nearly 1 in 10 men experience anxiety or depression everyday, but less than half of those men will ever seek treatment.
Globally-speaking, 75% of those who die by suicide annually are men.
60% of men will experience a traumatic event in their lives.
What does therapy do for men?
We need to redefine what masculinity means. Expressing our emotions is human and not something we should see as feminine. Unchecked emotions can lead to anger and resentment that feel uncontrollable. If you grew up not having space to talk about your emotions with caregivers, you may have learned to suppress your emotions. As an adult, while you want to find balance in your life, seeking therapy can feel scary and uncomfortable because the process is centered around understanding emotions. Our approach is person centered. This means we meet you where you are emotionally. If you know that how you are processing emotions isn’t healthy but don’t know where to begin, we can help. We teach you skills that will strengthen your relationships and make you feel more at ease internally.
What is considered men’s issues in therapy?
Anger management
Understanding emotions
Intimacy issues
Mid-life crisis
Grief and loss
Racial trauma
Do men respond better to male therapists?
While men tend to prefer male therapists, it is not a rule. It is most important that you feel comfortable with your therapist. Many men see female therapists and make great progress in therapy.
What if therapy isn’t enough to help me?
There is no one way to seek help. Sometimes therapy is enough and sometimes we need more support. This might look like medication or establishing a better support system. These are all topics you can discuss with your therapist.