Creating Therapy Spaces Where Men Actually Want to Show Up | Matt Englar-Carlson

Dr. Matt Englar-Carlson is Professor and Department Chair of Counseling at California State University Fullerton, where he directs the Center for Boys and Men. A core author of the controversial APA Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Boys and Men, he co-created the positive psychology positive masculinities model and serves on Movember's global men's health advisory committee. His work focuses on creating strength-based approaches to healthy masculinity in therapeutic and educational settings.Episode Highlights:The APA Guidelines Controversy - Matt shares his experience being at the center of creating the APA guidelines for working with boys and men, the political firestorm that followed, and how a misrepresented tweet sparked nationwide debate about masculinity and mental healthWhy Therapy Fails Most Men - Discover why traditional therapeutic approaches often alienate male clients, from office environments that scream "not for you" to emotional expression models that ignore how men naturally process feelings through physicality and actionThe Positive Masculinity Revolution - Learn about Matt's groundbreaking shift from deficit-based to strength-based approaches, reframing traditional masculine traits like independence and stoicism as potential assets rather than inherent problemsCreating Male-Friendly Therapeutic Spaces - Practical strategies for making therapy more accessible to men, including environmental changes, alternative forms of emotional expression, and why basketball leagues might be better therapy than therapy itselfResources:California State University Fullerton - Center for Boys and MenAPA Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Boys and MenMatt's upcoming book: "Listening to the Voices of Men in Therapy and the Therapists Who Work with Them"Movember Foundation - Global Men's Health Initiative