Working with men: Reframing the therapeutic encounter

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.