men’s Support Groups

Mental Health Center of San Diego

Men’s Support

Men’s support groups are becoming essential and familiar since many people now embrace the need to care for men’s mental health and well-being of men. For decades, society has imposed many responsibilities on men to be strong and not so emotional. Men support groups now help fellow men walk through difficult situations and life challenges to which they can all relate.

What are Men’s Support Groups?

A men’s support group is a small group of men who come together to support one another through their difficulties and learn how to navigate their challenges healthily. The goal of a men’s support group is to assist men in achieving greater levels of personal growth, mental health, success, and happiness in their lives. Men’s support groups will typically consist of 6-15 men that meet regularly once a week, biweekly, or monthly.

Men can find what they are looking for in a circle of men, no matter what they are looking for: a divorce support group, a prostate cancer support group, an online men’s support group in San Diego, or anything else they might be seeking.

What to Expect From Men’s Support Groups at the Mental Health Center of San Diego

The things to expect from a Men’s support group include main topics and the format of meetings.

Topics in Men’s Support Groups

Many people are interested in learning about some of the most common topics discussed in men’s support groups.

Often, no two meetings are ever the same. Men in San Diego will talk about whatever is on their minds at the time. Hence, the topic will change every week. However, some issues are discussed more frequently. These include:

Divorce & child custody
Communication in relationships
Career & purpose
Mental health
Work-life balance
Parenting & being a better dad
Health challenges
Grieving the loss of a loved one
Personal finances
How to control emotions as a man
Being a better man
Dating

And what’s fascinating is that, despite the wide range of topics, a surprising number of them apply to every man in the room. This makes sense because everyone is in a different situation. However, at a high level, most of the issues or opportunities being discussed are still related to health, wealth, relationships, etc. In life, there aren’t any new challenges.

Formats Used in Men’s Support Groups

Furthermore, when addressing issues, Men Support Groups have a standard format. Even though every men’s group is unique, some practices can best be applied to a men’s group format.

Introductions

Men will introduce themselves to begin the meetings.

Intentions

Often, the men will go around the circle and explain why they’re there.

Rituals

Most circles will then engage in some sort of ritual – chanting, bowing, and jumping to shake men out of their routine and establish a culture within the circle.

Hot-Seats

The gold in most men’s circles will be in the hot seats, where men can share and receive feedback on whatever they want. Each man can take upwards of 20 minutes.

Accountability

After the hot seats, some men’s support groups will have the guys go around the circle and state their accountability items so that the other guys can hold them accountable.

Closing Statements

Finally, each man has the opportunity to speak about something that stood out to him and that he appreciated.

Social follow-ups

After the meeting, the men will usually linger and discuss some of the topics raised more casually. There will be laughter. There will be a handshake. Until the next meeting, the guys say their goodbyes.

Benefits of Men’s Support Groups

When you surround yourself with a supportive group of men, you are more likely to experience the following standard benefits:

Improve your mental well-being.
Increase your chances of being successful at work and in life.
Get through a divorce in a healthy and productive manner
Improve your ability to be a better father.
A place where you can let off steam and lighten your load
Increase your level of happiness.
Genuine friendships with men who share more of your values and aspirations are possible.
Having a more healthy romantic relationship.
Improved communication with family and friends.
Save money compared to similar options such as counselors, coaches, and weekend men’s retreats.
Save time and energy.