Online Program

281619
Working with men: Reframing the therapeutic encounter


Tuesday, November 5, 2013 : 11:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.

Edward Stephens, M.D., Foundation For Male Studies, White Plains, NY
Alan Ellis, LCSW, Foundation For Male Studies, White Plains, NY
Gerard Treacy, LCSW-R, New York Presbyterian Hospital, White Plains, NY
We view the traditional model of "talk" psychotherapy as a feminized construct and process, reflected in the ubiquity of women's groups and treatment in the mental health professions, as well as the contrasting dearth of male-oriented mental health services and community-based interventions. The changing roles of males, which have arguably been usurped by females in today's culture, have contributed to this trend. Males comprise a significant minority in those seeking mental health services, yet are a disproportionate contributor to our national mental health crisis as evidenced by the following gender-comparative statistics: seventy-five percent of suicides across all age groups, reaching a crescendo of seven out of eight elderly suicides, eight of ten children on psychiatric medication for ADD spectrum disorders, and seven of eight diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorders are males. In order to address this paradoxical crisis, we are proposing a unique and novel model for working with male clients. Our studies and experience have demonstrated that males respond more positively to a "coaching" intervention style, in part related to their experience with team sports. As a result, males are more amenable to individual and group interventions that employ coaching processes and constructs, in lieu of the traditional model which employs the language and expressions of "talk" therapy. Our intention is to provide a framework for best practices in mental health treatment that are consistent with "male values" and can be utilized in pertinent community-based initiatives.

Learning Areas:

Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Program planning
Provision of health care to the public
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Identify key elements of how to effectively work with men in a therapeutic setting. Demonstrate a model for increasing access to, and the effectiveness of mental health services for men.

Keyword(s): Mental Health Services, Gender

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Internationally-recognized physician and psychiatrist. Author of numerous articles about men, women and families: The Paternal Instinct, Paternal Grief Syndrome, and After Divorce: Fathers, Mothers and the Law. Collaborating with Mr. Ellis and Mr. Treacy, leader of men's health and mental health groups/treatment programs for the past 20+ years. As Founder/Director of The Foundation for Male Studies, working to establish Male Studies curricula across our universities, and a White House Council on Men and Boys.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.