Lawrence Peltz Ph.D., MFT
Office: (415)
472-5688
Fax: (630) 839-6371
Northgate Medical Center · 750 Las Gallinas Ave., Suite #211 ·
San Rafael, CA 94903
Groups For Men
If you’ve visited the Information and Commonly Asked Questions About Group Psychotherapy page of this Web Site, you already have some good information about group membership and its potential benefits. Below you will find information about men’s groups in general and about the Men’s group that I lead.
History
of Men's Groups
A NEW Group Model
Application of the Model
How Can I Get More Information?
History
of Men’s Groups :
Men’s groups were originally formed around
the consciousness-raising theme of the women’s movement of the 1970’s.
Unlike their female counterparts, these early men’s groups generally had
far less impact and enjoyed far less popularity.
Shapiro, Peltz & Bernadette-Shapiro (1998), suggest some reasons for this phenomenon: Perhaps men were not as deeply concerned with or willing to embrace the goal or accept the theme of politically correct feminism. Perhaps they were not as affected by cultural and sexist oppression. Whatever the reasons, men’s groups didn’t exactly flourish in the ‘70’s.
The good news seems to be that "you
can’t keep a good man down". In the 1980’s men’s consciousness
raising was primed by Robert Bly (Bly, 1990; Bly and Moyers,1989), Sam
Keen (1991), and others. From the springboard of consciousness raising,
men have increasingly joined in psycho-educational, behavioral,
existential, psychodynamic and workshop-oriented group experiences.
Men’s groups are currently growing in popularity.
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Commonly Asked Questions About
Group Psychotherapy Page
The operative model in our Men’s Groups addresses the need for men to effectively 1) identify 2) express and 3) integrate emotion with intellect. This synergistic, double-barreled, feeling/thinking approach allows men to develop a powerful tool for self-support/development and the support of others. Healing the split between emotional and intellectual realities is a major focus of men’s work.
Men often find it difficult to express their emotions and usually prefer the stance of intellectualization. Many of us have been taught since childhood to present a strong external, seemingly independent facade. Admitting weakness or dependence is a traditional male taboo that has exacted a huge toll, resulting in a diminished sense of wholeness and self-acceptance.
The Men’s group encourages mutual support, cooperation, identification and encouragement. We strive to counter the traditional alienation of men from other men and to encourage relating between men.
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Commonly Asked Questions About
Group Psychotherapy Page
Psychotherapeutic tools are only effective when applied to relevant issues and concerns. What are some of the issues and concerns that typically concern men? Please read on. As you do, consider your own issues and how you might begin to address them in The Group.
Why Men’s Groups?
Some of the advantages of men-only groups include the following:
- Support, caring and friendship among men.
- Facing and working on restrictive and destructive aspects of the male gender role (For example, challenging the notion that emotional sensitivity equals weakness).
- Sharing and pursuing mutual goals and concerns.
- Elimination of distraction and competition to impress women.
- Opportunity to learn supportive roles usually filled by women in mixed groups.
- Greater ease in discussing difficult issues (such as child custody, dating, cohabitation).
- Greater ease in exploring highly personal topics such as male health issues, sexual concerns and needs.
- Attention to unfinished business with our fathers and contemplation of the ways we have related to significant men in our lives.
- Attention to our roles and relationships as fathers.
- Working through divorce issues.
- Examination of masculine-associated characteristics, such as competitiveness, aggressiveness and independence.
- Greater ease in exposing vulnerability. Sufficient male support allows men to address issues of dependency, doubts and worries about innermost feelings, fears about individuation, separation from significant others, and similar issues.
- Safe environment to explore issues of psychological abandonment and rejection.
- Male friendship. The development of non-sexual intimacy between members.
That’s quite a list. Many of these concerns are likely to emerge in any well-led group, but they are more likely to emerge earlier and to be explored in greater depth in the safety of the men’s group environment.
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Commonly Asked Questions About
Group Psychotherapy Page
We’ve taken a brief look at the history of Men’s Groups, considered a new Men’s Group model and identified areas where Men’s group participation could be of significant value.
How can I get more information?
Well-led groups by trained and experienced group leaders provide opportunities for members to explore patterns of behavior and feelings in a safe environment. Proper screening is necessary to determine whether a proper fit exists between you as a prospective member and available group or other treatment options.
If you would like information about current group openings or to request a personal interview, call me directly at 415-472-5688. If you leave a message, please provide a phone number and some good times to reach you. In the event that I do not answer your call directly, I will return your call within 24 hours and often much sooner. You may also contact me by e-mail at DrPeltz@Psycounseling.com.
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Commonly Asked Questions About
Group Psychotherapy Page
*Dr. Peltz is the co-author of Brief Group Treatment: Practical Training for Therapists and Counselors (with Dr. Jerrold Shapiro and Dr. Bernadette-Shapiro. References cited above may be found in Brief Group Treatment, (1998).
© 2000 Lawrence Peltz, Ph.D., MFT