Psychological counseling centers are visited much more often by women, so many people wonder if an hour on the couch is the right place for men too. There is no such thing as therapy for men, but common sense says that there is no reason why men would need psychological help less. But what do the studies say?
Dr. John Barry addresses this question in his research and says that psychologists and psychotherapists are reluctant to talk about what divides the sexes. In academic circles, it is currently much more accepted to talk about what connects men and women rather than what separates them. Nevertheless, he is convinced that therapy could be much more effective for men if gender differences were taken into account in therapy.
Louise Liddon asked 347 randomly selected respondents what type of therapy they would be interested in seeking. About half of these respondents had already had some experience with some type of therapy in the past. Differences in the selection of therapy types were found between men and women. While men preferred more group types of therapy, which often include advice and recommendations, women leaned more towards depth therapies, which provide more space for discussing experiences and the past. In short, while men seek solutions, women prefer the opportunity to talk about their emotions.
These results also suggest that it is a suitable time to consider how to make psychological sessions attractive for men as well. The suicide rate among men is up to three times higher than among women. Despite how alarming this number is, men open the doors to counseling much less often than women. However, it cannot be said that men are avoiding psychological difficulties.
In the words of Dr. John Barry:
“It is highly likely that men would benefit from talking about their feelings just as much as women do; however, if the goal of therapy is to talk about emotions, some men may choose to avoid it. Our research has shown that men more often than women talk about the lack of therapy options suitable for men.”
“In Therapy, Women Want to Talk and Men Want a Quick Fix | Psych Central News”
“A new study finds that women and men tend to seek different outcomes in psychotherapy. In general, women want time to talk about their feelings and men want a quick fix. The research, conducted by Dr. Katie Holloway from the University of Portsmouth and colleagues, was presented at the annual conference of the British Psychological Society’s Division of Clinical Psychology in Liverpool.”