Men and Couples Therapy
You don’t have to surrender your man card to work on your relationship.
Where to start with men and couples therapy… I can’t tell you how many clients I have worked with that the wife or partner calls because their husband or significant other needs therapy. In fact, male resistance in couples counseling is so common that it has become the butt of jokes within the industry. All jokes aside some counselors are better equipped to turn male resistance into change than others.
You can be successful in therapy without giving up your man card. In fact, most partners don’t want you to give up your man card. They want you to use it responsibly, with leadership, accountability, and sensitivity. Let’s be real, in our society, men are conditioned to be fixers, fighters, providers, and protectors. Many men take pride in this role, and they should. Talking about “how I feel”, vulnerability, and emotional honesty are minimalized, discounted, or foreign. Problem solving however, is a different story.
If you, your wife, partner, or family are unhappy, there is an inherent sense of failure because something is wrong. Maybe you are the cause of it, maybe not. Let me ask you, does being right in this situation really matter?
As time goes on, things can get more complicated, bad habits and maladaptive behaviors frequently emerge. Selfishness, guilt, becoming a work-aholic, control, drugs, alcohol, porn, avoiding your spouse or family, midlife crisis, indifference, and anger are all strategies that don’t help. I can get to the point that it is easier to be a jerk than a failure, you dig in, and now you are stuck.
Therapy with a qualified professional, can help you identify the opportunities to use your man card in a manner that makes you a gentleman with integrity and shoulders broad enough to reflect, correct, and re-connect with the things that really matter.
Yes, you are a role model. There is no shame in getting help to save yourself, your relationship, your family. Give us a call at 813-434-3639 to schedule an appointment! If you’re looking for solutions for your problems let Chris Long help you find your path to hope, growth, and healing.
