therapy for men

It can be really hard to be a man today.

In our prevailing culture, men are expected to live by a narrow set of rules. For many guys there is a strict framework about how you can be and how you can live your life. If you don’t follow the rules, your masculinity is questioned.

You can be strong and independent, brave and decisive, you can be stoic.

You can’t ask for help, you can’t express anything you’re feeling (except for anger, anger is OK), and your relationships with others have to follow a strict set of understood guidelines, especially with other guys.

This is an impossible spot to be, because we can’t always be strong, independent, or brave. And sometimes we really, truly need help. And many of us would like relationships that work better in providing us with what we actually need - support, connection, and love.

While some men build a healthy set of coping skills and ways of relating to others that are more workable, a lot of guys find that what they were taught to believe or how to act as men is no longer working or never worked very well. This can show up as depression, anxiety, problems managing anger, or challenges with substances, sex, or other issues.

Therapy can be a space to figure out what’s going on for you, understand yourself and your place in the world, and build skills to reduce struggle, form relationships that actually work, and create a life that feels rich and vital.