Question

concerns, issues, and theories of counseling men, and discuss potential areas you might excel in, as well as areas of the counseling experience you might struggle in as a woman, if you were to provide counseling to a man

Answer 1

• Men are expected to be independent, self-sufficient, stoic, and invulnerable. Consequently, they may have trouble identifying or expressing weaknesses or problems within treatment, which may be perceived as a lack of trust or an unwillingness to be open with counselors or fellow clients.
• Men are also expected to be competitive and, at times, aggressive. As a result, male clients may develop combative or competitive relationships with male treatment group members and staff or may appear resistant to others' suggestions. They may resent being told what to do, and so suggestions may need to be reframed as conclusions that are reached collaboratively between client and counselor.
• Since men have a need for autonomy motivational techinques would be beneficial by emphasizing free choice for them.The session could succeed if men are given offers to decide how the process should take place.
• From my experience,men are challenging as clients. Unlike with my female clients, there was no mutuality of experience to draw upon to smooth the process of forging the therapeutic bond. With my male clients, I became keenly aware that often I was seen by them as a woman first and a therapist second. With a man, I introduce therapy as an educational experience, offering verbal and written descriptions of "what to expect in therapy." A basic problem for women who treat men is that, no matter how empathic we may be, we haven't had the same socialization they've had.