Introduction to the special issue: Men in counseling

In 1981, Murray Scher edited a special issue of the Journal of Counseling & Development that was focused on providing counseling to men. In that issue, authors addressed gender role conflicts, sexuality, relationships, careers, violence, and identity development through the life span. Scher noted, "There were a lot of people beginning to think about gender roles and the impact on our lives at that time. And that included looking at men. It was clear that understanding men would help everyone" (M. Scher, personal communication, October 30, 2012). Since the publication of the 1981 special issue, the counseling-specific literature has reflected limited scholarly work addressing these issues. This lack of research on men in counseling was evident with the publication of the August 2010 issue of Counseling Today. The special emphasis of that issue was focused on engaging men in the counseling process. More than 60 American Counseling Association (ACA) members responded via e-mail to a column written by the ACA president, requesting more research in this area and offering various opinions regarding the lack of men in the profession as either counselors or clients. Although the amount of research on men, masculinity, and mental health has increased significantly in the past 30 years, very little of that scholarly work has been published in ACA sources nor has it been focused specifically on providing counseling to men. O'Neil and Renzulli (in press) noted that there has been a steady growth of psychological research that explores men and masculinity but that the study of men and masculinity has been much less prevalent in other social sciences (e.g., sociology, social work, and counseling). They noted several reasons for this, including the fact that often research related to men and masculinity is perceived narrowly and is associated with issues such as sexism, male dominance, and the devaluation of women. Contrary to that view, O'Neil and Renzulli observed that much of the emerging scholarly work comes from a profeminist perspective. This perspective is compatible with ACA's commitment to social justice and multicultural frameworks. Given the commitment to explore the needs of all underserved populations, the guest editors responded to this call with the development, submission, and eventual approval of this special issue. Why a Special Issue on Men? According to the 2010 census, 49.2% of the U.S. population is male (U.S. Census Bureau, 2011). ACA membership statistics indicate that 27% of the members self-report as being male (C. Nieman, personal communication, June 19, 2012). Regardless of age, nationality, or ethnic/racial backgrounds, women are more likely to seek counseling than men are (Addis & Mahalik, 2003; Doherty & Kartalova-O'Doherty, 2010; Vessey & Howard, 1993), indicating that the most common counseling scenario now is a female counselor working with a female client. The reluctance of men to seek professional psychological help stands in stark contrast to the range and severity of the problems affecting them (Courtenay, 2011; Kessler, Berglund, Demler, Jin, & Walters, 2005; Minino, Heron, Murphy, & Kocharek, 2007; O'Neil, 2012). Although it is well documented that men are hesitant to seek mental health services, it is important to note that according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2012), the number of men receiving mental health services and counseling has been increasing in the last 10 years when nearly 9.9% of men (compared with 17.1% of women) reported receiving treatment in the past year. Despite the perception (and stereotype) that men do not ask for help, it appears that many men actually do ask for help and receive it from counselors. Although both men and women benefit from counseling, some counselors may be especially challenged when working with men who are reluctant to be in counseling, uncomfortable exposing their experiences, and potentially reluctant to express emotion in the manner preferred in a counseling setting (Englar-Carlson, 2006). …