MSN explains why men don’t like group therapy, but may open up in individual therapy.
Jeanie Lerche Davis writes (excerpt):
Men are often outnumbered by women in these sessions — with one or two men in any group. They tend to become fringe members, participating little, dropping out too soon, [Anthony S.] Joyce explains. It points to the need for “gender sensitivity” in therapy, he writes in the latest issue of Psychotherapy Research.
***
Women are grounded by their connections with others, so group therapy works well for them, explains Joyce. For men, group therapy can stir up anxieties, threatening their sense of self. Men also feel alienated, vulnerable, and overwhelmed by the women’s stories and their emotional sharing. The men quickly bail out before they get any benefit, he says.