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Men's Issues

Resilience Psychological Services


Resilience Psychological Services

Men's Issues

SERVICE SPECIALTY


While in recent decades our society has experienced rapid shifts in gender norms, men today often remain susceptible to traditional notions of masculinity and specific cultural expectations around how they should, or should not, feel and express their emotions. That is, it is still common for men to experience spoken or unspoken pressure to keep their feelings within, to “be a man” and not cry, and to avoid any other signs of vulnerability or weakness.  

Yet there is no doubt that men, just like others, experience significant stressors when it comes to relationships, careers, sexuality, parenthood, finances, and a range of other daily experiences. Men also tend to encounter certain emotional states or conditions with great frequency—for example, anger and irritability. This is partly because anger, frustration, and aggression are feelings that have historically been condoned by society as “accepted and expected” for males to express. When it comes to the many other emotions a man may actually be feeling, it can be challenging for him to acknowledge them, tease them apart, and identify how they are influencing his relationships, his sense of self, his behaviors, and even his broader life course. 
 

HOW WE CAN HELP

 

In therapy, we want to know the whole you. What are you going through? What’s working in your life, and what’s not? How have you come to be where you are, and who you are? What do you love about yourself, and what do you wish were different? We find that our most productive work in therapy occurs when we can build a solid, trusting relationship with our clients. This seems to be particularly true among our male clients, for whom there’s sometimes a strong and socially conditioned reluctance, as discussed above, to express feelings from within. With this in mind, we strive to create a conversational, comfortable style that makes it easy for men to voice their concerns and to feel heard. We’re genuinely interested in getting to know the real you. 

In the context of this non-judgmental therapeutic relationship, we can help you to develop your awareness and expression of your many, varied emotional experiences. The work in therapy focuses on acknowledging emotions, building an emotional vocabulary, and increasing vulnerability and a willingness to sit with and accept the various feelings that you may hold at once within you. Our male clients tend to find that, when they are more able to identify their emotions, they begin to act less defensively. Rather than practicing denial, projection, and displacement, these male clients begin to act with greater freedom, honesty, and authenticity. Many of our clients also find it helpful to be given specific, actionable things they can do after each session to begin to gradually implement the changes we discuss in therapy. 

At Resilience, we’re here to talk. When it feels like others are judging your choices or behaviors, or when you’re just not sure where else to turn, please know that we are here to get to know the real you. Contact us today for a free consultation. 
 

 

Common challenges
 

•  Anger, irritability, frustration, or chronic stress
•  Relationship or intimacy concerns
•  Problems at work
•  Anxiety or depression
•  Substance use or other addiction issues
•  Challenges with fatherhood
•  Confusion about your feelings

Resilience Psychological Services / Chicago