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Overview
Most men are trained from earliest childhood to suppress emotional distress, avoid the subtle signals of interpersonal conflicts, experience humiliation at the first hint of failure, and most of all, resist asking for help. They deny and avoid their psychological pain and want to take action rather than be reflective. Is it any wonder that men view therapy as shameful and alienating?
Psychologist Gary Brooks has developed an innovative (and user-friendly) therapeutic model for working with men who are resistant to traditional therapy. Drawing on his own blue-collar upbringing and his work in veterans hospitals treating working-class clients, Brooks shows how this unique approach uses compassion, respect, empathy, and sensitivity to dissolve the barriers of men's defenses.
A New Psychology for Traditional Men outlines an exhilarating process, for both clinician and client, in which they share the discovery of common problems rooted in cultural expectations. By talking openly about the culture and stresses of masculinity, men come to realize their problems are not unique nor the result of personal failures. They develop connections with other men and enjoy mutual support and a joint commitment toward change. Brooks shows how to channel this enthusiasm into positive cognitive, behavioral, and relationship changes.
This challenging new model reconsiders the clinician's previous comfort zone of a solid barrier between client and therapist and rethinks ideas about a rigid boundary between therapy and the larger culture.
Incl. why men need psychotherapy & why they hate it; men's groups that work; marital & family therapy; men & women etc.
Synopsis
Breaking down the barriers
Most men are trained from earliest childhood to suppress emotional distress, to avoid the subtle signals of interpersonal conflicts, to experience humiliation at the first hint of failure, and most of all, to resist asking for help. In this much-needed book, Gary Brooks shares his experience of working with resistant male clients and shows how to overcome this resistance and achieve positive results. Brooks reveals how compassion, respect, empathy, and sensitivity to men's defenses help break down barriers and make them amenable to the therapeutic process.
Booknews
Maps a strategy for engaging therapy-resistant men in the process of healing their psychological pain. Acknowledging that traditional men are often reluctant to confront their emotions and admit to vulnerability, advocates the use of empathy, gender-aware therapy, and sensitivity to men's unique cultural positioning to further the therapeutic process. Specifically addresses individual, group, family, and marital therapy techniques. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.
Editorials
From the Publisher
"A comprehensive, scholarly volume brimming with clinical insight into the hearts and minds of the traditional blue-collar men he so adroitly treats. . . .offers not only a guide, but inspiration and hope that men whose lives have been badly damaged-men who are likely to be considered poor risks for therapy-can find significant help in the therapy relationship." (Ronald F. Levant, dean, Center for Psychological Studies, Nova Southeastern University)
"Carefully weaving the psychological literature together with glimpses into real men's lives, Gary Brooks creates a tapestry of the finew man' that is at once honest, poignant, and our hope for the future. Millions of men's and women's lives will be enriched by reading this book. I already have a number of traditional men on my gift list." (Lenore Walker, author of The Abused Woman and The Battered Woman)
"This wonderful book is filled with wisdom and compassion. It should be required reading for anyone doing psychotherapy with men; it should be required reading for anyone who is in a relationship with a man! It is clear, sensitive, incisive. In a time of gender strife and misunderstanding, Dr. Brooks provides a beacon of hope." (Judith V. Jordan, assistant professor of psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and training director, Stone Center, Wellesly College)