Men tend to “just deal” with any issues they may be having at any point in their lives. Our society has taught men over time that “real men” don’t go to coaching or coaching for their issues. This thankfully is slowly changing with the millennial generation. At the date of this blog post, Ocala Counseling currently has more male clients than female clients. This is the first time in our Company’s history that we have seen these numbers shift. One probable reason is we go to you wherever you would like us to meet you. If you would like a session on the golf course, fine, meet us for your lunch hour at your job, also fine. You will not come to an office and sit across from us while we ask you to just spill everything. We make sure that you are in an environment that makes you the most comfortable. We can even come over and play a game of chess. When you put a label on coaching or coaching there still seems to be a stigma attached. We are living in a fast-paced, high-tech, high-stress world. Also, guess what? Men tend to struggle with the same issues as women do.
Researchers have recently stated that there is a silent crisis in men’s mental health. This is based on evidence that men have high rates of various mental health issues. These include high rates of suicide and substance abuse as well as low rates of mental health service use.
Men make up over 75% of suicide victims in the U.S. With one man killing himself every 20 minutes. Men living in small towns and rural areas have higher rates of suicide. Here are the highest ranking States of suicide in no particular order; Alaska, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, and Montana. This has been attributed to many different factors. One is the huge decline in jobs that have traditionally been held by men and were considered “male industries” such as; manufacturing, forestry, and fishing. So in this current economy men are finding it rough and are either unemployed or under-employed and no longer hold the “breadwinner role”. This can lead to depression, feelings of worthlessness, guilt, lack of purpose, and without a powerful sense of pride. When men do seek out help, almost 70% recover and gain back a sense of self and self-worth. Working with a Therapist or Counselor who understands men’s issues is key to finding the right healthcare provider.
