When it comes to counselling and getting the help you need, we understand that it can be a daunting and overwhelming process especially when men are less likely than women to be diagnosed with any of the most common mental health disorders which in turn means that they do not get the proper treatment they actually need.
Counselling for men is extremely important, not only for the positive effects that it has on their mental health but also for their relationships and physical well-being. That is why in this blog, we go into detail about what the different types of counselling for men are, how it can help them and why it is so important.
So without further ado, let’s delve into what counselling is and the many benefits that it has.
How can counselling for men help?
Counselling can help you deal with depression, anxiety or stress, cope with traumatic experiences and life events or manage harmful emotions and behaviours. But you don’t have to be in crisis to seek counselling.
Therapy can also help you become more self-aware, form better relationships with those around you and to reach your full potential. As a result, it has the potential to improve your sleeping pattern, your work life, and your personal life too.
Why is counselling for men so important?
Statistics show that it is harder for men to talk about their problems, issues and feelings compared to women. However, it’s not that they don’t want to talk about them but more that they have never been told that it is okay for them to do so.
Counselling is still often seen as emasculating due to years of men being told that they have to be strong and that showing emotion is a form of weakness. This is not the case at all.
Talking about your issues, problems and feelings can be one of the most helpful ways of dealing with what is going on in your life. Through this, you will not only feel better but you will be able to recognise any problems that may arise and how you can deal with them moving forward.
Through counselling, you will be able to understand the signs of your problems and be able to get the necessary help you need to counter those problems.
Statistically, suicide is higher in men than women and so it is so important that men get the help they need so that it doesn’t get to that point where they feel like they can’t carry on.
So, what are the main types of counselling?
Nowadays there are so many different types of counselling which are beneficial for different issues and problems. This is thanks to an increase in research and more people openly talking about what is going on in their lives.
The following are the main types of counselling and what they are used to deal with:
- Psychodynamic therapy: It is mainly used in order to try and understand how early attachments affect people through their relationships in the present day.
- Behaviour therapy: This is used in order to help you change the way you respond to certain triggers (most likely linked to traumatic events).
- Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT): Cognitive therapy examines the things you do in the present moment. CBT combines behaviour therapy and cognitive therapy, focusing on how your thoughts and beliefs affect your feelings and behaviour.
- Humanistic therapy: This operates on the belief that you’re the best person to understand your own thoughts and experiences. It focuses on self-actualisation in order to get more meaning out of and from life.
- Mindfulness-based therapy (MBT): This helps you to understand how you react to your own thoughts and feelings. By becoming more aware of your emotional responses, you can learn to approach them differently or to simply notice and accept them.
- Arts or creative therapies: These explore how you think and feel through a creative process like music, painting or writing.
Psychodynamic, humanistic, and behavioural approaches are the most common forms of therapy with each one supporting different types of individual therapies.
Everyone has different traits and needs that make certain therapies more suitable than others. The important part is recognising your own need for therapy, fighting the stigma against it, and pursuing mental health treatment that could greatly benefit you.
But how do you know that you should seek counselling?
There are many reasons why you might want to see a therapist. Maybe you want to talk through a particular problem, you want or need that long-term support, or you are aware and know that you are suffering from the symptoms of a mental health problem and want to get help for it.
However, if you aren’t aware of the signs that you may need help it can be difficult to make that first step in seeking someone out to help you. That is why, if you’re experiencing any of the following symptoms, you may want to seek someone out to help you.
- You have a continuous low mood. This may be that you always feel anxious, sad, or worried and if you feel off for a long period of time, it is definitely worth considering seeking out a form of therapy.
- You have physical symptoms you cannot pin down. This could be that you are regularly suffering from headaches, digestive problems, poor sleep, or muscle pains where the underlying cause could be your mental health.
- Your sleep pattern has changed and you no longer sleep through the night, or you are lying in bed worrying, mental health support could help.
- You are having thoughts of self-harm or suicide. In these cases, please reach out to someone – whether that’s a loved one or a professional. Most mental health charities have 24-hour helplines available that we urge you to use.
- You are overeating, drinking a lot, or engaging in other destructive behaviours. In a difficult time, a lot of men can rely on unhealthy coping mechanisms and it is so important for you to get help in dealing with these.
- You are having relationship issues. It can be difficult to maintain a healthy relationship if you are having problems with self-esteem, substance use, or the symptoms of depression or mental illness.
- You are struggling at work. Mental health issues can come between you and productive, rewarding work. So if your performance has suffered then therapy sessions could help.
Therapy for men can be an incredibly beneficial experience. While you may be less likely to visit a therapist and more likely to self-medicate for mental health issues it is time for this to change. So if you are struggling with your mental health, you really do deserve to get support and not have to face your troubles all on your own.
If you need that support in order to get help…
Talk to us.
Here at ManGang UK, we provide multiple meetings across Southampton and the surrounding areas. These meetings allow men who are struggling with their mental health the chance for conversation.
Our groups are free from judgement, with no BS or hidden agendas – we are simply here to help men talk to one another.
By having a conversation with someone who has faced similar hardships, you can rest assured knowing you’re not alone and get the support that many men have never had. The access to this personal support network means we have been able to help men all across Hampshire speak up about their mental health.
Why do we care?
Because we believe that men need to talk to each other in order to break the stigma around getting help for our mental health so that we can all live a better, brighter future.
ManGang was founded by a man who struggled with poor mental health all of his adult life. Feeling the experience was something no one wanted to talk about, it was bottled up for a long time through fear of judgement.
After losing a friend to suicide in 2017, he set out to break the stigma that led his friend feeling so isolated and alone. Our aim is to tell men all across the country that they needn’t be alone.
There is support out there for people who feel they have no one, and we are here to supply it.
Born out of a tragic circumstance, we set out to make a difference. For too long men have been made to feel emasculated by talking about their mental health.
ManGang are a network of men who believe it’s not weak to speak. We have grown in numbers since our first meeting and survived COVID by meeting regularly on the Zoom platform.
Continuing to grow and now back to face-to-face meetings, we have helped remove the negativity around men talking about their issues and show how vital a simple conversation can be.
So if you are considering joining us for one of our meetings or are just simply curious about the different types of counselling for men, please do get in touch with us today via our website, by phone (0330 0436525) or by email.
Thank you for taking the time to read this blog, we hope that it has helped you in some way, shape or form.
Remember: it’s not weak to speak and you are not alone.
