A New Clinical Paradigm for Men’s Mental Health

CPD

Speaker

Randy Flood Related seminars and products

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Randy Flood, MA LLP, is a psychotherapist, a leading trainer on the topic of men and masculinities, and the co-founder and director of the Men’s Resource Center of West Michigan. He developed the educational programme Altogether Boys, and the podcast Revealing Men. He is the co-author of Mascupathy: Understanding and Healing the Malaise of American Manhood (IPTM, 2014) and Stop Hurting the Woman You Love: Breaking the Cycle of Abusive Behavior (Hazelden, 2006). 

Zach Flood Related seminars and products

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Zach Flood, MA LLP, is a psychotherapist at the Men’s Resource Center of West Michigan, with a special interest in group therapy with men who struggle with domestic abuse. Before becoming a clinician, Zach led a music appreciation group at a men’s substance abuse recovery centre, Mariner’s Inn, in Detroit Michigan.

Outline

Male Socialization  

• We will discuss the experience of growing up as a man.  
• The socialization process can potentially emphasize relational patterns and communication approaches that lead to problematic dynamics. This will be explored using some foundational ideas in the field of men’s work.  
• We delineate the roles of both gender essentialism and gender constructionism, while emphasizing the importance of understanding the impact of constructionism as it pertains to building empathy for your male clients.    

Gendered Consequences  

• We will discuss the ramifications of problematic male socialization through the lens of the gender role strain paradigm.  
• This presentation will explore how men internalize their socialization and how different men present clinically.  
• We will define four clinical domains for case conceptualization. These include a weak self-concept, inadequate emotionality, relationally deficient self, and externalization.   
• We will talk about the different ways that men can resort to externalizing behaviors, such as domestic violence or other acting out behaviors.  
• Men can resort to suppression and avoid vulnerability in their relationships. This internalization can have devastating effects on how they relate to others. We will explore the various ways this can play out for men as they progress through life.  

Specialized Treatment  

• We will discuss how, with a lot of men, you must treat the underlying issues rather than just the symptoms, i.e. the anxiety, depression, or compulsive behaviors. You must address the underlying lack of emotional intimacy and relational distance in their lives.    
• Experiential Reclamation Therapy will be introduced. This is a gendered form of group psychotherapy that focuses on developing men’s emotional and relational intelligence, as well as helping them revision healthy and balanced masculinities.  
• In both group and individual therapy settings, you will be instructed on how to implement gender schema theory, social learning theory, and gendered capital.  
• You will be presented specific techniques for engagement with male clients that are resistant to conventional therapeutic techniques.  
• We will demonstrate how to incorporate certain types of diagrams or written materials into your sessions with men as way of deepening the work that you do. 
   

Target Audience

• Psychotherapists
• Counsellors
• IAPT practitioners
• Social Workers
• Psychologists
• Therapists
• Case Managers
• Addiction Counsellors
• Nurses
• Psychiatrists
• GPs
• Other Mental Health Professionals