Male-Friendly Therapy: Adapting the Clinical Space for Men

Male-Friendly Therapy (Photo by NONRESIDENT on Unsplash)

Traditional therapy has often been viewed through a “feminised” lens, prioritising face-to-face emotional disclosure and “sitting with feelings”. However, recent research in the UK and internationally suggests that many men experience better outcomes when therapy is adapted to be “male-friendly”, shifting the focus from passive talking to active problem-solving.

Rethinking the Therapy Room

One successful model involves moving away from the traditional couch to “shoulder-to-shoulder” therapy. This approach, often seen in the UK’s “Men’s Sheds” movement, recognises that men are often more comfortable opening up while engaged in an activity or sitting side-by-side rather than in direct, sustained eye contact.

In a clinical setting, this translates to goal-oriented therapy, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), which treats mental health as a set of skills to be mastered or “tools” to be added to a “toolkit”.

Using Strength as a Therapeutic Asset

Furthermore, male-friendly therapy avoids pathologising traditional masculine traits like self-reliance and strength. Instead, it leverages them as assets. Therapists might use “instrumental” language, focusing on “strategies”, “objectives” and “performance”, to help men frame vulnerability as a form of courage and psychological resilience.

By rebranding the therapeutic process as a proactive “maintenance” of the self, practitioners are successfully breaking down the stigma that has historically kept men from seeking the support they need.