Presenter: Dr. Avrum Weiss, Ph.D. Psychology
avrumweissphd.com
CEUs: Category 1 | 3.0
Men in general, particularly white middle- and working-class men are not doing well; physically, financially, and emotionally. Accordingly, there is a resurgence of interest in studying men and masculinity in our field as an essential aspect of multicultural competence. To this point, the psychology of men has not been well developed in our field, which limits our effectiveness in engaging men in treatment and providing effective clinical interventions for men and their intimate partners. This presentation works to develop new understandings of the psychology of men and how those new understandings can be applied to clinical work with men and their intimate partners.
Workshop Objectives:
At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Describe the empirical research supporting developing understandings of the psychology of men.
- Implement new strategies for engaging men in therapeutic treatment
- Implement new strategies for reducing therapeutic resistance in men in psychotherapy.
- Implement innovative approaches to working with men and couples in psychotherapy.
Agenda
I. Introduction. (20 minutes)
A. Conceptualizing the study of men and masculinity as an essential aspect of multicultural competence
B. The challenges of working towards an empathic understanding of the internal lives of men without appearing to condone interpersonally exploitive or abusive behavior.
II. Difficulties of Engaging Men in Treatment (20 minutes)
A. Men are socialized to be emotionally self-reliant and to equate being emotional or needing help with femininity.
B. Men perceive psychotherapy, and the values expressed therein, as feminizing and, therefore, threatening.
III. Importance of Engaging Men in Treatment (20 minutes)
A. Men in general, particularly white middle- and working-class men are not doing well; physically, financially, and emotionally.
B. Men and loneliness.
IV. Strategies for Engaging Men in Treatment (50 minutes)
A. Therapists educating themselves about the internal lives of men as another form of cultural competency
B. Educating men about their fears of women as an underlying cause of individual unhappiness and relationship distress (Weiss, 2021).
1. Men’s fears of being dominated and controlled by women
2. Men’s fears of being entrapped by women
3. Men’s fears of failing to protect and provide for women
4. Men’s fears of women’s emotions
5. Men’s fears of being inadequate
6. Men’s fears of being abandoned.
7. Men’s fears of femininity
C. Helping men to understand some of the benefits of therapy they may be unaware of
V. Treatment Strategies for Working with Men and Heterosexual Couples (50)
A. Men are taught to rely on defensiveness and stonewalling as their primary defenses in intimate relationships. Teaching men to forgo withdrawal and how to “lean in” as an alternative.
B. Women are socialized to rely on criticism and contempt as their primary defenses in intimate relationships) Teaching women to forgo criticism and learn to be interested in, and empathic towards the internal lives of their partners.
VI. Case study of a common relationship conflict reconceptualized through the lens of men’s fears of women. (20 minutes)
Recommended Reading
- American Psychological Association (2018) APA Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Boys and Men. American Psychological Association.
- Dinnerstein, D. (1999) The Mermaid and the Minotaur. Other Books
- Ducat, S. (2005) The Wimp Factor: Gender Gaps, Holy Wars, and the Politics of Anxious Masculinity. Beacon Press.
- O’Neil, J. (2014). Men’s Gender Role Conflict: Psychological Costs, Consequences, and an Agenda for Change. American Psychological Association.
- Weiss, A.G. (2021). Hidden in Plain Sight: How Men’s Fears of Women Shape Their Intimate Relationships. Lasting Impact Press.
