I see a lot of men in my practice who struggle with satisfaction. Men who are depressed often struggle with anger and irritabilty, increased alcohol consumption, withdrawal from others, decreased communication, shame, feeling like a failure, short tempers, and relationship or work struggles. Even as modern society is shifting it's expectations of gender roles, change often feels like it's in geologic time.
Feminism has made it's mark on our culture in very vital ways. Women are working more, achieving more and expecting more out of their familial, work, romantic and platonic relationships with men. Maybe you are a "cisgendered" (Urban dictionary defines "cisgendered" as "someone who has a gender identity that agrees with their societally recognized sex") male partnered with a female, male or a gender variant partner. Maybe you are a stay at home father or maybe you are like the other men in your family and amongst your peers that do the 9 to 5 thing each day. The issue is that while women's needs are being better considered within a modern cultural context, men continue to be overtly and covertly fed the message of how men are "supposed" to be or behave. This double bind is confusing and leaves some men unsure of how to best express themselves in a 21st century mentality.
I help men express and communicate the parts of themselves that remain repressed, stuck and without a voice for their true emotional and creative selves to emerge. I help them explore gender roles and expectations in their family of origin. We look at how your family encouraged or denied emotional expression. I help male-identified clients name their emotions plus early and present experiences that were/are difficult and have yet to be expressed. For more information on Men and Depression go to: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/male-depression/MC00041
Liz has a private therapy practice in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle.
