Are men treated as 'less equal' by the therapy professions?
One hears a lot about Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) these days, especially as a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. I am a counsellor specialising in men's issues and I have been a BACP member since 2018.
The BACP is the largest professional membership body for counsellors and psychotherapists in the UK, with more than 50,000 members. It has considerable influence over the provision of counselling education through accredited training programmes, and on the continued professional development of its members who adhere to its ethical framework.
It sends members a monthly magazine called Therapy Today. The leading article on the cover of October's edition was: 'How black women are making their mark in research'. Another headline article was, 'Power dynamics in intercultural supervision'. This kind of content reflects the BACP's commitment to EDI, which it has allocated £1.3m to implement, yet not all BACP members agree with EDI's Marxist theoretical underpinning. Many occupy the middle of the road politically, or identify with conservative values.
“The magazine [Therapy Today] has also pushed the idea that a toxic patriarchy is embedded within western society, and that any disparities in outcome between men and women are evidence of it.”
For these members, it can seem like some kinds of diversity, such as gender critical beliefs, are treated as 'less equal' by the BACP. Another group that is arguably treated as 'less equal' is men. I've been concerned about attitudes towards men among therapists since my BACP-accredited training, in which views of 'the patriarchy' were sometimes used uncritically.
Hearing from colleagues and clients in psychotherapeutic training institutions, my understanding is that social justice activism is being pushed more and more in the classroom and the therapy room, with less tolerance for alternative ways of understanding the world that are not based on identity politics and power. The BACP is a member of the Coalition for Inclusion and Anti-Oppressive Practice, a name which implies that therapists routinely engage in oppressive practice.
In Therapy Today, the idea that racism is embedded within western society and culture, and that any disparities in outcome between racial groups are evidence of racism, has been promoted heavily since 2020 and the aftermath of George Floyd's death. The magazine has also pushed the idea that a toxic patriarchy is embedded within western society, and that any disparities in outcome between men and women are evidence of it.
“'Exploring masculinity in counselling means undoing masculinity'. The author, Manu Bazzano, suggested fatherlessness might even be a good thing.”
Meanwhile, men's issues such as boys lagging behind at all levels of education, men's far higher rates of addiction and suicide, and the fate of estranged fathers and fatherless children (estimated by Prof Ben Hine to be causing 20,000 men a year to become suicidal) have been overlooked. The question on the cover of the November 2019 edition of Therapy Today was, 'Where now for masculinity?' with the answer given inside, 'Exploring masculinity in counselling means undoing masculinity'. The author, Manu Bazzano, suggested fatherlessness might even be a good thing .
This followed the publication in 2018 by the American Psychological Association of its Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Boys and Men. The guidelines described masculinity as a pathological, culturally constructed phenomenon, and said power, privilege and sexism should be of central importance to psychologists when working with men and boys. The tonic came in 2022 when the British Psychological Society (BPS) produced the briefing paper Psychological Interventions To Help Male Adults .
It describes how common therapeutic approaches may disadvantage men and offers guidelines as a remedy. The authors John Barry and Martin Seager acknowledge cultural influences on men and masculinity, and also integrate biological and evolutionary factors. Since then, although the BACP has acknowledged the different attitudes of therapists towards masculinity, such as in this 2021 piece in Therapy Today, I was left confused by the BACP's position on men.
So I submitted a resolution ahead of the 2023 AGM asking whether the BACP would affirm the BPS guidelines, promoting empathy and respect for a male client’s identity, and support an evidence-based, non-ideological approach where negative terminology such as ‘toxic masculinity’ is discouraged, and masculinity is understood as a positive phenomenon, and a product of social, biological and evolutionary factors. My 500 word submission was entirely based on the BPS briefing paper.
The reply I received from the BACP chair Natalie Bailey was a ‘no’. In her letter she seemed to not be very interested. But perhaps someone in the BACP was interested because not long afterwards it produced this campaign to help men. It aims to help people spot the symptoms of depression in men and to encourage men to seek professional support when they are struggling.
It flags male-specific symptoms of depression using the acronym RAISE, for risk-taking, anger, isolation, substance abuse and exhaustion. The clinical insights ring true for me and will make sense to the lay reader. This is a helpful step forward in promoting the idea that men may express emotions differently, and that feminine ways of addressing emotions in the therapy room, which dominate because more than 80% of BACP members are female, aren’t the only ways.
The booklet is practical, succinct, mostly jargon-free and under each section the subheadings guide the reader to the information they need: “How it manifests,” “Top tips,” and “When to see a therapist”. I think the booklet is a positive move by the BACP to draw attention to the special needs of men and it appears to show a willingness to include men as a group in its EDI strategy.
“Therapists can work effectively with men experiencing distress without asking them to change. Telling them they are ‘doing masculinity wrong’ is judgemental and victim blaming”
However, the first paragraph reveals anti-male bias. It blames stereotypes like 'men don't cry' and ‘men should be strong’ for men's problems, putting these deep rooted biological instincts in a negative light. Yet we know thanks to research by John Barry that negative views of masculinity are linked to worse mental health. The ability of men to suffer stoically, while it can lead to problems, is a positive, pro-social attribute that we all rely on for our civilisation to function. The dirty jobs like fixing roads on freezing winter nights need to get done, however much men might not feel like doing them. Few women volunteer.
The booklet’s section on isolation says: "Emotional stoicism: You may hide your feelings because of adherence to traditional masculine roles. This makes it challenging to detect your emotional struggles." This implies that culture produces masculinity, yet "traditional masculine roles" appear in all cultures throughout all recorded history because of an innate, evolutionary drive in men to provide for and protect women and children. These are positive biological instincts, yet here they are framed as a problem.
The section on anger says: "Due to traditional gender norms, men may be more prone to types of anger that discourage emotional expression, leading them to suppress feelings until they boil over.” The term “traditional gender norms” again locates the problem in the way men and boys are socialised to ‘perform’ their gender, overlooking the role of biology and evolution. There is, however, no evidence that masculinity can be changed, or that it would be a good thing to change it. A better idea would be to understand and support its incredible generative and protective power in families and communities.
The phrase “types of anger that discourage emotional expression” implies that the ‘right’ way of expressing anger is emotional, and yet thinking and behaving are other equally valid ways of expressing anger that can be healthy or unhealthy. Therapists can work effectively with men experiencing distress without asking them to change. Telling them they are ‘doing masculinity wrong’ is judgemental and victim blaming, which are counterproductive in therapy and contradict the BACP’s Ethical Framework.
Therapists have a responsibility to meet clients where they are and work in the ways that best serve them. This booklet is a wobbly step in that direction, and there is much in it that is respectful of men and sensitive to their needs. I think it’s positive that here the BACP acknowledges that anger is a healthy emotion in men which can come out in healthy or unhealthy ways depending on support and care available for men. We can all agree on that, and I think we will be starting 2024 in a better place as a profession thanks to the BACP’s work on this — with plenty more to come I hope.
Scroll down to join the discussion
Disclaimer: This article is for information purposes only and is not a substitute for therapy, legal advice, or other professional opinion. Never disregard such advice because of this article or anything else you have read from the Centre for Male Psychology. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of, or are endorsed by, The Centre for Male Psychology, and we cannot be held responsible for these views. Read our full disclaimer here.
Like our articles?
Click here to subscribe to our FREE newsletter and be first
to hear about news, events, and publications.
Have you got something to say?
Check out our submissions page to find out how to write for us.
.
