Well done, the time has come! After the closing of the psychological study in my capital, I was able to complete the final training. Especially when this is my companion’s time in the office. The image of the psychological health treatment for men who are currently obstructed is that the name of the psychological health treatment center has been broken down.
We know that men face unique psychological health challenges, and as of 2020, they are the most likely victims of suicide, especially middle-aged white men. This is the first step to a healthy body, which is important! However, once someone else came to the area, was there a meeting with the person in the industry? Is it possible for others to feel deeply in their hearts, to have feelings for them, to have resentment, and to be able to talk to others about their homelessness?
I am a member of a small and talented family, and here is the inside story. Other than that, there are some very interesting points to look at, and there are some issues that can be encountered in psychological treatment when men are present, especially when it comes to marriage.
1. **A partner who’s too critical**: This is a serious problem that causes great pain to the man himself and the marriage itself. When a partner criticizes her husband’s behavior, lifestyle, values, choices, and character traits, it weakens the foundation of the marriage.
The tricky part is that pervasive criticism can lead to more hurtful emotions, such as indifference, disrespect, contempt, and even hatred. Therapists have found that even when a husband “tries” to change the criticized behavior, it may not be enough. The behavior is often not valued, rewarded, or considered not good enough, and it quickly rebounds to focus on other criticized behaviors. It feels like the change is not even recognized or accepted.
But the good news is! This behavior pattern is fixable. They can be helped to learn communication skills and tools to respond to criticism in a non-defensive way. They can find their voice, be heard, and feel understood. Replacing criticism with genuine praise and compliments can help heal and give the marriage a real chance to flourish.
2. **A partner who unfairly judges his choices**: Following criticism is the feeling of being judged, which some professionals consider to be extremely destructive, perhaps even more destructive than infidelity. Citing insights from authors such as Dr. Harriet Lerner and Alison Armstrong, experts emphasize that no one can happily endure feeling judged rather than appreciated in a marriage. This directly ties into the importance of validation and appreciation in a relationship.
For men in particular, this constant feeling of being judged can lead them to believe that they can never truly satisfy their wives. Feeling that any positive words are laced with an assessment of their behavior, they often internalize this as a direct assessment of their own value as an individual and a partner. This is a heavy burden.
A simple but profound shift is to stop and ask before jumping to conclusions, to listen authentically, and to understand what you don’t know, rather than just confirming what you expect to hear. This will create a safer space.
3. **Lack of intimacy**: As one trauma and addiction psychologist in her practice in New York City points out, lack of intimacy is one of the most common issues men initially bring up in therapy. Intimacy often works differently for men and women, which can easily cause disruption and frustrate both parties for different reasons.
For many men, intimacy is often a physical act that is a gateway to emotional closeness. They touch physically, which leads to an emotional connection. However, for women, it is often the opposite; intimacy is an emotional act that involves physical touch. They need to feel emotionally close and connected before physical intimacy is even possible.
Therapy can help couples open up communication about this dynamic, reminding them of their shared goals and why they chose each other in the first place, and thus begin to bridge this shared gap.
4. **She talks all the time (or repeats herself and rambles forever)**: This is insight from practicing counselors who work with men. A common complaint they hear from unhappy husbands centers on the amount and style of communication. Specifically, they feel like their partner keeps talking, repeating themselves, and babbling so much that the original message or topic is completely sidetracked.
This kind of thing, while it may sound a bit lighthearted on the surface, can be a real source of frustration and disconnection in a marriage. When communication feels overwhelming, long-winded, or circular, partners may lose interest, not because they don’t care, but because they simply can’t keep up or get to the point.
Psychotherapy provides a space to discuss these communication patterns and find ways for both parties to feel heard and understood without feeling overwhelmed.
5. **She complains that she does “everything” and I do nothing**: Ah, there you have it, the classic conflict over feelings of fairness and contribution in a relationship! This complaint comes up frequently in therapy with men. It revolves around the husband’s feeling that his wife always claims that she takes on all the responsibilities, while he does nothing.
Men who bring this up in therapy often mention that their wives’ complaints don’t take into account their work hours, their commutes, or the effort they put into tasks like car maintenance, yard work, or home repairs. This leaves the feeling that their contributions, while they may be different than their wives’, are invisible or undervalued.
Addressing this issue requires fostering mutual recognition and cultivating a shared understanding and appreciation of each person’s contributions to the family and family life, even if those contributions look different on a day-to-day basis.
Okay, we’ve lifted the veil on some of the major stressors that men admit to feeling in therapy, from the sting of constant criticism to complicated intimacy. But the journey to understanding what’s going on inside men’s minds when they’re serious about their relationships doesn’t end there. Insights from the therapy room reveal more layers of the struggles husbands experience, touching on everything from emotional spark to family relationships.
