New Foundation Counselling

Prince William called the high rate of suicide in men “A strain on Society.” He is also a supporter of the Mental Health Charity The Calm Zone and their campaign Against Living Miserably. The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is an award-winning charity dedicated to preventing male suicide, the single biggest killer of men under the age of 45 in the UK. They report that in 2015, 75% of all UK suicides were male. Research by the British Association of Counsellors & Psychotherapists revealed that compared to five years ago, 62% had a higher percentage of male clients. It seems that more men are seeking counselling than in the past because of a gradual shifting of attitudes about gender roles, as well as a growing recognition of the benefits of counselling itself. Traditionally, men have been socialised to repress their emotional needs as a part of masculinity. This is despite the fact that men have exactly the same emotions as women and feel things such as anger, grief, shame, sadness and anxiety. Expressing feelings has been stigmatised as weakness for men leading to feelings of shame and isolation which in turn often causes men to bottle up psychological difficulties which risks them becoming more entrenched and severe. There are many compelling reasons why men should be encouraged to talk through their concerns with a professional counsellor. Despite the recent increase in the number of men seeking counselling, numbers are still low compared to women. There is also evidence that men are more resistant to seeking counselling than women which is of concern giving the fat that men are at a higher risk of suicide across all age groups, but particularly men under 50.