Why Men Should Consider Group Therapy
Written by: Sabriya Charles, MA, NCC, Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern | Fruits of Freedom Counseling
Therapy carries a stigma for men still in 2025 because it can be associated with vulnerability. There are little spaces in the world that make room for men to experience freedom in expressing the full range of their emotions. While there are tons of social media topics on men, emotions, and everything in between, there is still a need for authentic opportunities for men to share and find camaraderie. Group therapy serves as a safe, facilitated world for this to happen.
Let’s break down some of the reasons group therapy can be beneficial for men:
Community is everything. Group therapy simply reminds people that they are not alone. Men, in particular, often may have a set of expectations on how they should think or feel about situations. It is helpful to have other people remind them that they are human and that they are not alone in these experiences. Simply put, group therapy combats isolation (1). A term used to describe group therapy for men is “effortless understanding, as participants feel they do not have to explain themselves as they get to be among others who get them in the group setting (1)
Duty can be for oneself, too. Men are often tasked with a sense of duty across most cultures. That duty can be comprised of financial, protection, and leadership-based expectations. It rarely leaves room for vulnerability. With the group therapy experience, men can pour the sense of expectation into themselves by showing up for one another, doing the self-work, and being consistent in the group. When they show up for others in the group, they are showing up for themselves by default. There is a sense of responsibility, and this placement in their well-being can be fulfilling if they stick it out (1).
Men aren’t left behind. In a study on group therapy for men, one of the highlights of group therapy is the feeling of not being “left behind” in their times of deep shares and sorrow (1). Group therapy serves as the safety net that men often seek as they spend much of their own lives being the safety net. If they find themselves falling into the difficulties of the shares, the camaraderie of group experience keeps them from drowning.
Overall, while group therapy can feel like a scary place, particularly when it is out of one’s wheelhouse, it can be exactly what is needed to face the darkness threatening the happiness we all deserve.
References
- Kivari, C. A., Oliffe, J. L., Borgen, W. A., & Westwood, M. J. (2018). No Man left behind: Effectively engaging male military veterans in counseling. American Journal of Men’s Health, 12(2), 241–251. https://doi.org/10.1177/1557988316630538