On the APA Guidelines for Boys and Men

Curt and Katie talk about the 2018 APA Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Boys and Men. We talk about the definition of masculinity and each of the guidelines, looking at what they explain well and where they miss the mark.

It’s time to reimagine therapy and what it means to be a therapist. To support you as a whole person and a therapist, your hosts, Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy talk about how to approach the role of therapist in the modern age.

In this episode we talk about:

Discussing whether these guidelines would be created
The importance of teasing out the differences across demographics, genders, etc.
The complexity of men and what the guidelines address
The definition of masculinity and Curt’s problem with it
The concept of many masculinities
The shifting perception of masculinity and femininity
Toxic masculinity as the extreme
The places where the guidelines miss the mark
Comparing Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Michael Cerra
The stuff that is “no duh.”
Discussing intersectionality, the impact of culture, sexism, power, privilege on how men develop
Biological, evolutionary, and societal impacts on sexism for men
Challenging the idea that we actually value all the different types of masculinity
How the educational guidelines miss the need to adjust how schools operate
What is missed or misrepresented about bullying
How the guidelines address violence
The problem with the data on violence – looking at convictions versus how many are committed
The concept of “boys will be boys”
Physical differences that lead to stand up and be protective
The thought that the Guidelines are not acknowledging the biological or physical differences between men and other genders
The types of responses men have toward taking care of their health
How to embrace masculinity as an element of diversity and not thinking that masculinity is bad
Differentiating toxic masculinity from masculinity (i.e., pathologizing masculinity)
How this can be perceived in the #metoo era
The shifting of what is acceptable for men and potential impacts of these shifts on boys and men
How advocacy is addressed in the guidelines, especially looking at intersectionality

Relevant Episodes:

When is it Discrimination?

Resources mentioned:

We’ve pulled together resources mentioned in this episode and put together some handy-dandy links.

APA Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Boys and Men

Podcast: Hardcore History

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Who we are:

Curt Widhalm is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in private practice in the Los Angeles area. He is a Board Member at Large for the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, a Subject Matter Expert for the California Board of Behavioral Sciences, Adjunct Faculty at Pepperdine University, and a loving husband and father. He is 1/2 great person, 1/2 provocateur, and 1/2 geek, in that order. He dabbles in the dark art of making “dad jokes” and usually has a half-empty cup of coffee somewhere nearby. Learn more at: http://www.curtwidhalm.com

Katie Vernoy is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, coach, and consultant. As a helping professional for two decades, she’s navigated the ups and downs of our unique line of work. She’s run her own solo therapy practice, designed innovative clinical programs, built and managed large, thriving teams of service providers, and consulted hundreds of helping professionals on how to build meaningful AND sustainable practices. In her spare time, Katie is secretly siphoning off Curt’s youthful energy, so that she can take over the world. Learn more at: http://www.katievernoy.com

A Quick Note:

Our opinions are our own. We are only speaking for ourselves – except when we speak for each other, or over each other. We’re working on it.

Our guests are also only speaking for themselves and have their own opinions. We aren’t trying to take their voice, and no one speaks for us either. Mostly because they don’t want to, but hey.