Approximately 9 men per day die by suicide in Canada, where men make up 75% of all Canadian deaths by suicide. More men than ever are seeking help for their mental health, yet many of these men are still dying by suicide. Research among mental health practitioners has highlighted challenges experienced by professionals in their capacity to effectively engage and respond to men when they seek support (i.e., psychotherapy, counselling). Many men find counselling to be a foreign environment that doesn’t feel ‘male friendly’. Many practitioners struggle to adapt their therapy to manage the influence of masculine norms on help-seeking, such as self-reliance and limited emotional literacy.
In light of this disconnect, Movember funded the development and evaluation of a world-first online training program for mental health practitioners, specifically designed to improve their confidence and competence to engage and respond to men in therapy. Titled Men in Mind, the training presents an evidence-based, interactive guide on effective delivery of counselling with men. Delivered over 5 modules, practitioners learn all about masculinities, how they manifest and how they affect men. The training also covers strategies for improved engagement and motivating male clients, understanding and responding to men’s distress, and identifying and intervening in male suicidality.
Movember also funded the evaluation of the impact of Men in Mind through an initial pilot study of the program among which demonstrated its acceptability and feasibility, with 98.1% of the almost 200 participants reporting they felt more equipped to work with male clients in therapy after taking part. Next, we evaluated the impact of Men in Mind via a world-first randomised-controlled trial. The results of this study, demonstrated that Men in Mind significantly improved practitioners’ confidence and competence to engage and respond to help-seeking men, particularly men experiencing suicidality.
With support for the efficacy of Men in Mind, Movember is now funding the scaling and international roll-out of the training.