As a therapist who specializes in working with men, I am familiar with the unique experiences and concerns men bring into therapy. I find that my direct, solution-oriented approach works well for many men and helps us form a productive therapeutic partnership.

Generally, men and boys have been socialized differently than women and girls since early childhood. Whether from caregivers, classmates, media, or other influences, explicitly and implicitly, boys learned what was expected and accepted. Often, this meant that vulnerability, displays of emotion like sadness and fear, and certain desires were discouraged or even punished.

Additionally, or separately, your family, community, and society may have placed expectations on you to achieve certain levels of education, and success, have a family, provide financially for others, or pursue certain careers or interests. This may have been in line with the expectations you had for yourself or butted up against your inner desires.

If you had some of these experiences, then over time your child self probably learned to protect you from negative reactions to your inner emotions or hopes. While this served you as a child, you may be experiencing the downsides of this approach as an adult.

This can contribute to or exacerbate symptoms of anxiety, depression, difficulty recognizing or expressing emotions, isolation, numbness, listlessness, sleep disturbance, substance use, or anger. It may impact aspects of your life such as relationships, communication, work, or parenting.

Therapy can help you recognize the patterns that are no longer helping you, develop a deeper connection to your emotions, and learn new ways of engaging with yourself and others.