Chicago Men’s Counseling
Men present themselves with special problems and concerns we here at 360 Therapy can effectively address through men’s counseling. The male psyche and manner of resolving internal emotional conflicts usually deals with the thought process of not asking for help and not depending on others, oftentimes to the detriment of himself and his family. Men are very often taught as children to “tough it up” or “not cry” so they may fit what may be perceived to be the correct male stereotype, that of the “Macho”. This is a man that can be resilient and withstand any and all heartaches, traumas, or personal struggle alone usually by going into denial. Due to this inattention of their emotional states, many men eventual find themselves facing emotional problems with depression, anxiety, panic attacks, body image issues, chemical dependencies, and severe problems attaining or sustaining satisfying personal relationships. This problem also includes both heterosexual and homosexual men.
Many men also unfortunately wait until the last minute to seek help, oftentimes reaching out to an individual they trust and who they believe will not let others know of their plight. This results in several problems, one being them receiving advice from others that do not know how to adequately address their underlying problems, and the other being more nefarious, which is when they allow the longstanding problems to fester and then morph into more chronic conditions that may require extra 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 the problem. For many men, there are several classic maladaptive ways of dealing with negative emotions, the more common being anger or rage, Intermittent Explosive Disorders or IED, procrastination, lack of motivation or sense of purpose, and unfortunately suicide with the more severe cases.
Men’s issues not only present themselves with individual emotional concerns, but fatherhood, or a man’s ability to effectively parent their children as fathers, is also important to understand and successfully process. With many families, the concept and image of being a man is passed down through generations and today’s society faces men with new challenges and insights that challenge stereotypical role models. Our practitioners have undergone substantial personal work in this area and are equipped to address men’s issues.