Chicago Men’s Counseling
Men present themselves with special problems and concerns. The professional therapists at 360 Therapy can effectively address these issues. The Western culture has socialized men to believe that asking for help is a sign of weakness, when in truth it is a sign of strength.
Men are very often taught as children to “tough it up” or “not cry” so they can fit the desired male stereotype that can be resilient and withstand heartaches, traumas, and/or personal struggles alone. This denies one’s authentic emotions. Due to this inattention of their emotional state, many men eventually find themselves experiencing depression, anxiety, panic attacks, body image issues, chemical dependencies, other forms of addictions and severe problems attaining or sustaining satisfying personal relationships. These problems affect both heterosexual and homosexual men.
Often, men wait until the last minute to seek help, reaching out to an individual they trust and who they believe will not let others know of their plight. This can result into problems, such as, receiving advice from others that are not skilled to address the underlying problems, or allowing the longstanding problems to fester and then morph into more chronic conditions that may require a longer time in therapy. Men can also begin therapy but terminate prematurely due to thinking they have things under control, when in fact they have just begun to scratch the surface of their presenting issues.
For many men, there are several classic maladaptive ways of dealing with negative emotions, the more common being anger, rage, Intermittent Explosive Disorders or IED, procrastination, lack of motivation or sense of purpose, and suicide, with the more severe cases. Very often men are more comfortable feeling and expressing anger and rage, but these frequently are facades for more deeper emotions, such as shame and grief.
Men’s issues not only present themselves with individual emotional concerns, but can impact their role as a father, and the challenges of effective parenting. The concept and image of manhood is multigenerational, and today’s society confronts men with cultural challenges and insights. Our practitioners have undergone substantial personal work and professional training in this area and are well equipped to address men’s issues.