June is Men's Health Month, so let’s talk about it. 

Mental health doesn’t discriminate—but the way people experience, talk about, and seek help for their mental health often does. While awareness around mental health has grown in recent years, men's mental health continues to be misunderstood, overlooked, or silenced. Social pressures, outdated gender norms, and systemic barriers prevent many men from accessing the support they need.

At VMA Psych, we believe that understanding the unique mental health challenges men face is the first step in addressing them. In this article, we explore the psychology behind men’s mental health, current statistics, why men are often underserved in therapy, and how to support the men in your life.

The Silent Struggle: Why Men Experience Mental Health Differently

While men are equally vulnerable to mental health challenges, the way those challenges present and how they’re addressed can look quite different. Cultural norms have long equated masculinity with stoicism, independence, and emotional restraint. When these traits are internalized to extremes, they can create powerful barriers to help-seeking and emotional expression.

According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, more than 4,000 Canadians die by suicide each year, and roughly 75% of them are men. Despite this alarming statistic, men remain significantly less likely than women to access mental health services. Some estimates suggest that only one in three therapy clients is male.

Mental health concerns in men are often underdiagnosed or mischaracterized, particularly when symptoms manifest as irritability, substance use, or chronic burnout rather than more recognizable signs of depression or anxiety. Additionally, many men experience alexithymia—a difficulty identifying or articulating emotions, which can further obscure the need for support and delay intervention.

The Psychological Toll of Modern Masculinity

Modern men face a unique convergence of expectations. On one hand, they are told to open up and be emotionally available. On the other hand, they are often judged—consciously or not—for doing exactly that. These contradictory pressures can create internal conflict, eroding one’s sense of identity and making emotional expression feel unsafe for men.

Common mental health pitfalls for men in today’s society include:

• Emotional suppression: Men are often conditioned to internalize distress, leading to a buildup of unresolved emotions and psychological tension.

• Work-related stress and financial pressure: Societal expectations to serve as financial providers can contribute to chronic stress, burnout, and feelings of inadequacy.

• Social isolation: Research shows that as men age, they tend to have fewer emotionally intimate relationships, increasing the risk of loneliness and disconnection.

• Substance use: Men are statistically more likely to turn to alcohol or drugs as a coping mechanism, often masking deeper mental health concerns.

• Fear of stigma: Despite growing awareness, many men continue to associate therapy with weakness, leading to avoidance or delay in accessing care.

  
  

Understanding these barriers is essential in creating safe, supportive pathways for men to engage with mental health care.

Common Themes in Men’s Therapy

Therapy for men is not about changing who they are—it’s about offering a safe, judgment-free space to process experiences, explore emotional patterns, and develop healthier ways of coping. At VMA Psych, we frequently work with men navigating a range of concerns, including:

• Anxiety and depression

• Irritability, anger, and emotional reactivity

• Relationship strain or emotional shutdown

• Career stress, burnout, and identity confusion

• Transitions into fatherhood and parenting-related stress

• Grief, trauma, and unresolved childhood wounds

• Perfectionism, shame, and fear of failure

These challenges are often interconnected. A man facing career burnout may also feel emotionally distant in his relationship. A father going through a high-conflict divorce may experience a mix of guilt, grief, and helplessness. Therapy is not about “fixing” emotions—it’s about understanding their roots and building more adaptive ways of responding.

At VMA Psych, our clinicians approach men’s mental health with expertise and compassion, helping clients reconnect with their values, relationships, and sense of self.

Evidence-Based Modalities That Work

Effective therapy is never one-size-fits-all, but certain approaches have been shown to be especially helpful for men:

1. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

CBT helps men identify and challenge unhelpful thought patterns and build healthier behaviours. It’s practical, goal-oriented, and appeals to many men who value a clear structure.

2. Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT)

This approach helps men reconnect with their emotional experience and express it in healthier, more meaningful ways, often essential for improving relationships.

3. Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)

Many men appreciate the forward-looking, problem-solving lens of SFBT, which emphasizes goals and what’s working rather than what’s broken.

4. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)

Grounding techniques and mindfulness can help men manage stress, reduce reactivity, and become more attuned to their inner state.

5. Narrative Therapy

Rewriting the story men tell about themselves can be profoundly healing, especially for those navigating identity changes, shame, or past trauma.

6. Somatic Therapy

Somatic approaches recognize that emotional pain often lives in the body. Through body-based techniques like breathwork, movement, or guided body awareness, men can learn to process stress and trauma nonverbally, especially helpful for those who struggle to articulate emotions or feel disconnected from their bodies.

7. Trauma-Focused Therapies (e.g., EMDR)

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and other trauma-focused therapies are effective in helping men heal from distressing past experiences, whether related to childhood trauma, violence, accidents, or chronic stress. These approaches allow the brain to reprocess difficult memories safely, often with less verbal disclosure than traditional talk therapy.

At VMA Psych, we tailor our approach to each individual’s needs. Whether it's brief intervention or deeper psychodynamic work, our goal is to meet men where they are—with respect, care, and clinical excellence.

Supporting the Men in Your Life: What You Can Do

Men’s mental health isn’t just a men’s issue—it’s a societal one. We all have a role to play in challenging stigma, fostering emotional safety, and making it easier for the men in our lives to access the support they deserve.

Practical Ways to Support a Man You Care About

• Lead with empathy, not solutions

  Many men are met with advice before they feel truly heard. Instead of jumping in with fixes, try reflecting what you hear: “That sounds really hard,” or “I can see why you’d feel that way.” Validation builds trust and signals that emotional expression is welcome.

• Normalize mental health conversations

  Talk openly about therapy, counselling, or emotional well-being. If you’ve benefited from professional help, share that experience. Seeing others model vulnerability can reduce shame and inspire action.

• Ask intentional questions—then give space

  A sincere “How are you, really?” can cut through surface-level responses. But equally important is allowing silence, nonjudgment, and the time it may take for an answer to come. Avoid interrupting or rushing emotional disclosures.

• Encourage access to safe spaces

  Whether it’s a therapist’s office, a men’s group, a trusted friendship, or even time in nature, men need places where they can lower their guard. Help facilitate these spaces without forcing them.

• Be patient with emotional language

  If a man has difficulty articulating his emotions, it doesn’t mean he’s emotionally unavailable. Emotional fluency is often underdeveloped due to social conditioning. Support his process by staying curious, not critical.

• Respect vulnerability as a form of courage

  If a man chooses to open up, treat his vulnerability with care. Avoid teasing, minimizing, or weaponizing what he shares—even in jest. For many men, expressing emotion is a significant step outside of their comfort zone.

Small Actions, Big Impact

Sometimes, your support doesn’t need to be verbal. Show up. Invite connection. Offer small gestures that signal you care. A walk, a shared hobby, a quiet check-in—these moments build a foundation of trust that can make future conversations feel safer.

Above all, remember that change takes time. Many men are unlearning years—sometimes decades—of messaging that discouraged emotional openness. Your steady presence, patience, and belief in their capacity to grow can make all the difference.

Building a Healthier Model of Masculinity

Supporting men’s mental health also means redefining masculinity in ways that allow for vulnerability, connection, and authenticity. This doesn't mean abandoning strength—it means expanding the definition of what strength looks like. Resilience can include softness. Leadership can include emotional literacy. Courage can mean asking for help.

The Numbers Behind the Silence: Why Men’s Mental Health Can’t Wait

Mental health challenges affect everyone, but for men, the outcomes can be particularly devastating. The statistics paint a stark picture:

• Men are 3x more likely to die by suicide than women in Canada.According to the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), suicide remains one of the leading causes of death among men under 50. This is not a sign of individual weakness—it’s a public health crisis rooted in stigma, isolation, and barriers to care.

• Only about 30% of people accessing mental health services are men.Despite facing significant psychological stressors, men are still drastically underrepresented in therapy. Cultural norms around self-reliance and emotional suppression often deter them from seeking help until a crisis point.

• Men are more likely than women to cope with stress through substance use.The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) reports that men are more prone to using alcohol, cannabis, and other substances to manage symptoms of depression or anxiety—an approach that often leads to further emotional distress or addiction.

• 1 in 10 Canadian men will experience major depression in their lifetime.And many more will face anxiety, burnout, or trauma-related symptoms that remain undiagnosed or unspoken. When emotional pain goes unnoticed or minimized, it doesn’t go away—it deepens.

These statistics are not just numbers. They represent fathers, brothers, partners, colleagues, and friends whose struggles too often go unseen. They highlight the cost of outdated social narratives and a mental health system that hasn’t always been equipped to engage men in ways that feel safe and culturally relevant.

The urgency is clear: we must reimagine how we talk about, support, and prioritize men’s mental health—not just in June during Men’s Health Month, but all year round.

Recommended Read for Men: “Men’s Work” by Connor Beaton

Men’s Work offers a clear, compassionate guide for men ready to confront emotional patterns, self-sabotage, and inner conflict. Written by therapist and ManTalks founder Connor Beaton, the book blends personal insight with practical tools to support emotional growth, healthy relationships, and greater self-awareness.

Men’s Work is a helpful companion to therapy or a starting point for men unsure where to begin. It’s an accessible, nonjudgmental resource that encourages reflection, emotional literacy, and meaningful change.

Recommended Read for Those Who Want to Better Support the Men in Their Lives: “How to Listen, Hear, and Validate”  by Patrick King

Supporting men’s mental health often starts with how we listen. Patrick King’s How to Listen, Hear, and Validate offers a practical, evidence-informed guide to building better conversations—especially in emotionally charged or vulnerable moments.

This book breaks down essential communication skills like reflective listening, empathy, and emotional validation in a way that’s easy to understand and apply. Whether you're a partner, friend, parent, or professional, King’s approach helps you respond with clarity and compassion—without trying to fix, minimize, or rush someone's experience.

This book is great for anyone looking to create safer, more supportive connections with the men in their lives. It’s a reminder that how we listen can be just as healing as what we say.

Let’s Talk About It

At VMA Psych, we provide supportive, evidence-based counselling for men of all ages—whether you’re navigating a major life transition or simply feeling overwhelmed. You don’t need to hit rock bottom to seek help. And you don’t need to go it alone.

If you're a man who’s been thinking about therapy, reach out and start the conversation. We’re here to help.

Book a consultation

Mental health is for everyone, and we all deserve the chance to heal.