By: Dan Griffin, MA

When I went to school to learn how to work with people with addictive disorders, I got a lot of great guidance: Brain science. Internal family systems. Motivational Interviewing. Models of change. Working with the criminal justice population. Working with women. Cultural influences on addiction and recovery.

There was one population, though, for whom I didn’t really get any specific instruction or support — men. At the time, I didn’t think too much about it, but I eventually started thinking about men and how we are and are not served by current service delivery systems.

After seven years of presenting and training people, I am far from the only counselor who never got any instruction. In fact, it’s rare for me to meet anyone who got specialized training on men. Women? You bet. That’s because, as we all know, women are a special population. Men, however, are not because everything is already about men. All the norms have been set based on men. Men have designed all the systems. Or so I have been told for years now. Men are the default. Plus, we all know that men are not that complicated.

Right?

Trauma Has a Unique Impact on Men’s Experiences

To me the question is ridiculous, and the answer is obvious. Of course men are much more complicated than we give them credit for, and our failure to recognize that has a negative impact on how men are treated in various systems of treatment.

I will never forget the person who came to a training several years ago who had to come without their supervisor’s approval. They had to take vacation time to be at our training on men and trauma. Why? Because in their supervisor’s words, “trauma is not a big issue for men.”

While my work has become increasingly more accepted and sought after, there is still an overwhelming amount of opportunity to educate and raise awareness about men and the impact of trauma. And, I am far from the only one out there saying we need to do more for men. There are wonderful clinicians and academicians all over the country challenging service providers and even systems.

However, even with all of those efforts, the vast majority of people graduating with any degree related to treatment services — from bachelors to PhDs — are still not being given any formal training on working with men as a special population. Most people graduating with LCPs, MSWs, MFTs, and PsyDs were never challenged to look deeply at how male socialization significantly impacts a man’s ability to engage in therapy and relationships in general.

What Men Need from Treatment

It seems crazy given how large of a population of men go through treatment each year that we have never really taken a hard look at treatment services for men. Is this really what men need? Is this really what is best for men? Add to that other addictive disorders, mental health treatment, and various forms of therapy, and men are a huge percentage of those taking advantage of services. Yet nobody seems to ask a straightforward question: Have the services really been designed for men?

I delivered a keynote recently titled “It’s Us, Not Them.” The premise is simple yet profound: The problem engaging men in addiction and mental health treatment has much less to do with their ability or willingness to engage in services, and nearly everything to do with the services themselves.

We have spent years questioning, challenging, and even blaming men; but, we have not questioned, challenged, or even blamed the services themselves! The dominant belief still is that men don’t want help and are therapy-averse. I am far from convinced of that. If we don’t take a hard look at the services we provide and become aware of the biases driving them, we will never know what men respond to best or what kinds of transformations are really possible.

Help for Men With a Focus On Their Unique Needs

Gender definitely plays a role in how we perceive the world — and how respond to it. Male trauma and addiction need to be addressed with this in mind. At The Meadows, we treat the whole person, focusing on past hurts and current behaviors that can hinder a healthy future. If you or a man you love needs help dealing with substance abuse or trauma, reach out today to find out what we have to offer.