The Incredible Power of Men’s Groups

As holistic counseling, group practices, psychotherapy, and other types of therapy evolve, people are seeking a style of personal development that suits their needs and is impactful to their growth. Men’s and women’s groups are one approachable form of growth work that is often a great stepping-stone for those who are new to therapy/coaching in general. The group setting opens a comfortable space to both hear and share life’s challenging situations and find both support and camaraderie.

Men’s groups are growing in popularity as the topic of male masculinity and men’s roles in society continues to shift. Male roles in the household are not as traditional as they were in earlier centuries; the percentage of men staying at home and raising children has increased from 4% to 7% as women continue to take on leadership roles in the corporate world. Men’s roles at work are also shifting, as the number of female-owned companies has increased to 40% of all businesses. Men at work are learning how to listen and respect female leaders; in the past this was never something men experienced.

Traditional Male Masculinity

Men are often raised and taught that their masculinity was extremely important to their happiness. Masculinity was often defined by sex, money, and success. As society shifts to a more equal playing field, men are often caught in a place where they are seeking these aspects of perceived masculinity, meeting those goals, and still feeling unfulfilled. This is where men’s groups come in as a great place to uncover what will truly bring themselves happiness and fulfillment.

Men are the second fastest growing demographic dying due to suicide in the western world; the Centers for Disease Control reported that middle-aged men ages 45 to 60 experienced a 43% increase in suicide deaths from 1997 to 2014. This is often because the traditional lifecycle leads men to become very lonely at this age. They’ve already experienced marriage, having kids, and meeting their career goals. But with the divorce rate hovering around 50%, many middle-aged men are ending up single and trying to determine what is next for their lives at this age.

Men are also statistically unstable at making and keeping other male friends. Their friendships as a whole look very different in comparison to women’s friendships. It’s often described that male friendships are side-to-side, meaning they are spending time in friendships doing activities with each other, yet often not truly creating deep life-long friendships. Women, on the other hand, are in face-to-face relationships where they spend time with other women connecting and communicating, creating deeper relationships that minimize loneliness at any age.

Men’s Groups are Low-Pressure but High-Impact

Men’s groups are a dynamic that allow men to see themselves in a deeper level of self-awareness while also embracing listening to other men face-to-face. The dynamic creates a space to share, to learn, be seen, and benefit from the wisdom and journey of others. When meetings take place, these men come together for discussion, support, and personal development, led by an experienced facilitator.

Many attendees have common traits, such as a desire for personal and emotional growth, to be better leaders and communicators, and to enhance their general well-being. One of the commitments of these groups is privacy; what is discussed stays within the group, creating a safe container for people to share their desires, fears, needs, and challenges while being supported by the expert facilitator and fellow group members.

The major takeaway of these groups is surprise and relief that other men share similar challenges and life experiences. The work they all do together leads to profound changes, growth, and often, the participants create lifelong friendships and deep connections with their peers.

Maximize Your Potential provides men’s groups and coaching programs that are developed to create a positive transformative experience for men to be seen and heard with no judgment or shaming. Our goal is to create a support network of men who are experiencing similar journeys and minimize the loneliness that they may feel. The top five most common themes that come up in our groups are:

1. I thought I had to be “tough” to be a man
2. I find it hard to make friends with other men, yet desperately want that
3. My partner wants me to be there for her emotional needs but can struggle to see I have those same needs too
4. The discovery that masculinity has many forms and there is no right or wrong way to be a man
5. It’s okay for men to show love and support to each other

—

To learn more about Maximize Your Potential, visit https://www.maximizeyourpotentialcoaching.com/.