Introduction to the Special Issue: Men in Counseling

Counseling With Male Clients: The Case for Relational Resilience Approach

“…Research is leaning toward exploring and defining nonbinary genders and expressions of sexuality ( Ho & Mussap, 2019 ; Lagos, 2018 ; Sugarman et al, 2018 ; White et al, 2018 ); but few reports have been written about men and masculinity, particularly from the counseling lens. As researchers progress in gender research, the field continues to lack information about why men seek counseling services at a slower rate than women ( Evans et al, 2013 ). Researchers have theorized that the foundations of counseling were designed to target women, and we have yet to make the progress needed for men ( Heath et al, 2017 ; Pollack & Levant, 1998 ).…”

“… Bedi and Richards (2011) noted that as of 2007, neither the APA nor the Canadian Psychological Association had specific instructions for working with males in a therapeutic setting, even though specific guidelines were in place for working with women. Evans et al (2013) reported that academic research on men in counseling is seriously lacking. They asserted that as a profession, counselors understand that being informed about men’s issues in counseling will assist everyone in our society.…”

“…Men are universally deterred from engaging in meaningful and long-lasting therapeutic relationships (Seidler et al, 2017), indicating significant limitations in our health care systems, overarching cultural messaging, and foundational components of the counseling process. Evans et al (2013) noted that psychological research on men is seriously lacking. And although the population of men in 2023 marginally trails women by only 4 million, when comparing the two genders who seek out counseling services, ''17.1% of women'' substantially outnumber ''9.9% of men'' (Evans et al, 2013, p. 387;Duffin, 2022).…”

“… Evans et al (2013) noted that psychological research on men is seriously lacking. And although the population of men in 2023 marginally trails women by only 4 million, when comparing the two genders who seek out counseling services, “17.1% of women” substantially outnumber “9.9% of men” ( Evans et al, 2013 , p. 387; Duffin, 2022 ). Liddon et al (2018) and Kung et al (2003) suggested that men do not seek counseling for emotional disturbances, which is a common presenting issue for women.…”