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An Opportunity for Male Psychotherapists

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An Opportunity for Male Psychotherapists

Steven Walfish, Ph.D.

I have taught undergraduate classes in psychology at two universities. My classes are almost always 80% female and 20% male. The past two years I have guest lectured at a seminar for Postdoctoral Fellows at a major medical school. Last year there were 15 new psychologists in the room and one was male. This year there were no males. The majority of students in clinical psychology PhD programs are now female (a significant reversal from 20 years ago).

The New York Times today has an article noting the shortage of male psychotherapists. (see http://tinyurl.com/3pz7u5u). This can be a problem for men wanting to go into psychotherapy but not feeling comfortable talking to a female psychotherapist (just as there are women not comfortable talking to a male psychotherapist).  This presents a private practice marketing opportunity for a mental health professional wanting to specialize in treating men.

For those male psychotherapists wanting to fill their appointment hours it will be important to market specifically to men. Let them know you are out there and what you have to offer as a mental health professional. In the Practice Niche section at TPI there are currently several listings related to working with men. These include:

Jeff Pincus practices in Boulder, Colorado. Part of his practices focuses on men’s issues from a mindfulness perspective. He offers a six-week group titled, “Mining the Mature Masculine.”

Tom Fronczak practice in Providence, Rhode Island and offers a group titled, “Gay Men’s Intimacy and Relational Awareness Support Group.”

Gary Plep practices in Los Gatos, California who specializes in working with men’s issues and conducts a retreat in Costa Rica that focuses on facing challenges to increase self-expression.

These are just a few examples. Clearly more women want to enter psychotherapy than men. However, build a service that men need and want and perhaps then they will come.