Men are different than women. And women different than men. And often times, it is what makes these difference combine to make a powerful team. One person's strengths offset the other person's weaknesses, and vice versa.
As a therapist, it is important that we understand the differences in order for a therapist who is providing counseling for men to be effective. Men are wired differently than women. Starting with men having 20 x more testosterone than women. Just with this one difference, think about how that affects brain development.
In general:
Men are faster to absorb information
Women are more capable of multitasking
A man's brain is wired with a better sense of direction
Women's brains can remember details
Men's brains typically keep the main point in mind
Women are more talkative than men and use 3 times as many words
Men are more aggressively competitive than women
Women find social interaction more rewarding
There are all sorts of evolutionary reasons why men and women's brains have developed as they have. This largely has to do with our hunter/gather ancestors and the need to survive. And which one of those ancestors actually survived to pass down their genes through the generations.
Another difference among men and women is the likelihood of women going to therapy compared to men. The CDC found that out of the men and women who struggled with any emotional and/or behavioral struggle:
24.7% of women sought help
13.4% of men sought help
Men receive messages during their lives that they need to be tough, suck it up, and not acknowledge weakness. Acknowledging weakness turns out to not be safe.
But what end up happening is we have an army of men who are suffering in silence. Men are wired to provide, to protect, and to propel. It's in our genes. Much of a man's identity comes from:
Providing for ourselves and our tribe,
Protecting ourselves and our tribe, and
Propelling our careers to better do the first two.
This is a man in the very reductionist, nutshell way of what drives a man. Now there are many different subcategories that branch off from each of the above. But in general, this is how we're wired.
How a Therapist Who Specializes in Counseling for Men Helped Me
As a male therapist who has struggled with situational panic attacks, you would think that seeing a therapist would come naturally to me. And while I do not resist that idea consciously and believe that all therapists should see a therapist, it took a lot of pain to get me there.
And men, that's usually what ends up motivating many to see a therapist. We wait until everything we've thought of failed and THEN, we may see a counselor for men.
For me, it took some embarrassing situations with panic attacks while presenting to a group of people to make me decide I didn't want to find myself in those situations again.
I sought out a therapist. I met with a therapist. I didn't connect and could tell she didn't have a grasp on my problem.
I met with another therapist. I didn't connect and could tell she didn't have a grasp on my problem.
I met with a third and final therapist. Someone who specializes in counseling for men and panic attacks.
We connected because I could tell she understood and got men. She had a grasp on what panic attacks are, what causes, them and solutions to overcome them. All through the lens of a man and the unique strengths and challenges we face.
Through therapy with her, she helped me overcome my panic attacks. But what surprised me, was that when we addressed and resolved the underlying causes of the panic attacks, it freed me up emotionally to access potential that I knew was there but could not access before.
I can trace back where I started to really thrive as an individual, in my relationships, and in my career to my therapy experience. Thank God for my panic attacks! Otherwise, I may not have started the transformational journey that I took.
Generalist & Specialist Therapists for Men
In the field of therapy, just like many other healthcare fields, a therapist can choose one of three routes:
Administration
Generalist Practice
Specialty Practice
Administration
I won't spend much time in this category. Suffice it to say that therapists do not make a lot of money. One way that a therapist can make a better living is going into administration.
Generalist Therapist
A generalist therapist is someone who has chosen to not specialize in any given area. These are therapists that like the challenge of being able to help a wider variety of people. Generalist therapists work with seniors, adults, young adults, teens, children, couples, etc.
Generalist therapists are like our family doctor. We trust our family doctor to give us good care as they have a vast knowledge base of the basics in many areas.
Generalist therapists have a strong knowledge base of many different basic areas. These therapists are able to help people much like a family doctor can.
What this produces is a therapist who over the course of their career, attend trainings on a wide variety of topics. This prevents them from really digging in deep to a specialist level of training, education, and experience.
Specialist Therapist
But if you have a unique need, the family doctor will refer to you a specialist. For example, if there are irregularities with your heart, you'll get a referral to a cardiologist who specializes in all things heart.
Specialist therapists are those who have chosen to focus on a very specific age group, demographic, and/or challenge that people face. For example, some areas that therapists choose to specialize in are:
Children & Play Therapy
LGBTQ Issue
Women's Issues
Men's Issues
Blended Families
Then there are specialty training areas that therapist can spend their careers focusing in. Some of these include:
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT),
Others.
Therapists who specialize with a specific age group, demographic, and/or population spend their careers training in that specific area. They will have more knowledge, skill, and ability to help as a result. Then throw on top of that training in specific areas such as neurofeedback, EMDR, ART, etc., is combines to produce a powerful change agent in the lives of those they help.
What this produces is a therapist who over the course of their career, attends training after training around the specific area of therapy they have chosen to dedicate their careers to. They get a deep dive and consistently into specialized training.
The first two therapists were good therapists. But they were generalist therapists. They like the challenge of working with anybody and everybody.
I needed a therapist who specialized in counseling for men. Someone who "got me" as a man and who had specialized training for panic attacks. And she was brilliant.
Therapists Specializing in Therapy for Men
Which brings us back to therapists specializing in counseling men. Having a counselor who has had the dedication to devote their career to counseling men will being a counselor who is better prepared in helping men achieve their goals.
The first two therapists I went to were good therapists. I was fortunate to have my background as a therapist to discern whether or not they were grasping what my problem was. Most people do not have a background as a therapist.
Starting Katy Counseling for Men was born out of my experience and wanting to help men avoid "therapist shopping". I wanted to create a practice where therapists who come on board have through education, training, and experience a depth of knowledge and clinical skill to help men succeed.
Katy Counseling for Men: Counselors Who Specialize in Men's Therapy in Katy, TX & Houston
You don't need to live with the heavy burdens of emotional or behavioral challenges any longer.
Men let's face it. If today those challenges could disappear, what would your relationships with others look like? Your ability to succeed in business and your career? And most importantly, your relationship with yourself?
At our Katy, TX location of Katy Counseling for Men, our therapists, who specialize in therapy for men, are ready to help.
If you are ready to start building a stronger future together, all you need to do is follow these three simple steps:
Contact Katy Counseling for Men
Meet with one of our men's counselors
Start your journey in building a stronger future today
Other Wellness Services Offered at Katy Counseling for Men: Katy, TX & Houston
At our Katy, TX location of Katy Counseling for Men, we have a variety of both talk therapy and non-talk therapy approaches in counseling for men. Below are a few of what we have to offer:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART)
Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR)
Trauma therapy
PTSD treatment
Counseling for anxiety
Counseling for social anxiety
Board Certified Neurofeedback
Marriage Counseling & Couples Therapy
About the Author
Jason Drake is a Licensed Clinical Worker - Supervisor (LCSW-S), Board Certified in Neurofeedback, EMDR trained, and a Certified Brain Health Professional through the Amen Clinics.
Jason is the owner of Katy Counseling Specialists, PLLC (KCM). KCM is the parent company for Katy Teen & Family Counseling and Katy Counseling for Men.
Jason specializes in teen therapy, young adult counseling, family therapy, and neurofeedback.
Jason also specializes in clinical program development, business administration. and leading high performing teams of specialized therapists in group practice settings.
Jason is a leader in the field of teen, young adult, and family counseling as an expert program consultant providing coaching and technical assistance to teen Residential Treatment Centers across the country.
Jason is also a regular contributor to various magazines and publications lending his expertise to various mental health related topics. You can check these articles out on our sister program website, Katy Teen & Family Counseling under "Featured Articles".
Jason has also been a guest on Fox 26 Houston and on a podcast, "Grow a Group Practice" with Alison Pidgeon.
If you are ready to start building your stronger future today, call, text, or email us.
Phone Number: 832-346-9614
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