The Benefits of Therapy for Men It’s no secret that men have a complicated relationship with therapy

The Benefits of Therapy for Men

It’s no secret that men have a complicated relationship with therapy and other healthcare services. Men are significantly less likely than women to seek counseling when it can benefit them. In this blog, we’ll talk through some of the reasons why men often avoid therapy and how therapy can help. At Lotus Psychology Group, we have a team of skilled professional counselors who are ready to work alongside you to achieve a variety of therapy goals, so don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Why Men Don’t Seek Therapy

There are many reasons men give for avoiding therapy, but they all really boil down to the same thing – a desire to live up to masculine stereotypes. Our culturally accepted idea of what is and isn’t manly often prevents men from asking for all kinds of help – not just help from a therapist. Some of the reasons men give for avoiding therapy include:

· Real men don’t need help managing their emotions

· Real men aren’t even impacted by their emotions

· If I was stronger, I would have figured this out on my own

· I don’t need help

· There’s nothing wrong with me; I’m just going through a tough time

· Things will get better if I just keep trying on my own

Why Men Benefit from Therapy

On the surface, it’s easy to convince ourselves that these kinds of thoughts are true, but recognizing when you need help and asking for it isn’t weakness. Whether the help you need is due to a disordered mood like depression or poor management of stress or anger, there are numerous reasons why therapy is the right call instead of suffering in silence. If you had a toothache so severe you couldn’t eat, you would go to a dentist, right? Feeling angry or hopeless or getting stuck in a cycle of fighting with a loved one can be just as painful and damaging for your mental health without proper care as that pained tooth can be without a trip to the dentist.

Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that you can figure out how to “fix” your current struggle on your own. That doesn’t mean you should. Going back to that painful toothache, you could probably fix that problem on your own by pulling out the tooth, but the odds are good it would be extremely painful, it wouldn’t look or feel great. Going to the dentist is a much better idea. So, before you perform DIY life surgery that might make things worse, why not give talking to a professional a try?

What to Expect from Therapy for Men

Another reason why men avoid therapy is that they get the wrong impression of what therapy actually is. On TV and in movies, therapy is often depicted as a total cry fest or like people whining about how hard their lives are. In actuality, therapy may involve crying, but it doesn’t have to. We could all use an emotional outlet from time to time, but therapy is really about better understanding how your thoughts and feelings impact your behaviors and relationships, setting goals and creating plans to achieve them, and generally, finding ways to deal with the tough stuff that life throws at you.

Getting Started

When you’re ready to chat, we’re here for you. Our therapists understand the stigma surrounding therapy for men and that you may be feeling really hesitant about taking this step. We’ll do our utmost to make the process easy and worth your efforts. To get started, you can email, call, or fill out our scheduling request form. However you feel comfortable reaching out, we look forward to hearing from you.