Meeting Men at the Heart
Are you struggling in your life?
Is your relationship falling apart? Do you have trouble keeping a relationship – or making onehappen?
Is your work and career life – or lack of one – making you feel unhappy, frustrated or bad about yourself?
Do you have difficulty controlling your anger?
Do you have issues with authority figures in your life?
Do you have feelings that seem unacceptable? Or secrets that you can’t talk about with anyone?
Were you abused?
Was alcohol a big problem in your family?
Are you avoiding or escaping what you know you have to face?
Sometimes the hardest work in the world for a man is to face what’s really going on – especially, what’s really going on inside him.
After all, men are taught to tough things out and never let anything bother them. To be a man is to rise above and overcome all feelings and be in control of every situation.
It sounds great to be in control of your feelings and your life. It also sounds great to golf like Tiger Woods and make a jump shot like Michael Jordan.
In reality, few men have everything “under control.” Not even close.
But because it’s hard to admit that you don’t feel strong and “together,” you may try to pretend you are, by avoiding your feelings and problems altogether, or by “compartmentalizing” them, so that you live a Jekyll-and-Hyde existence.
Sometimes this works. But if the problems are big enough, avoidance, denial and compartmentalization only makes matters worse.
Much worse.
Because the things men do to avoid what’s really going on inside them, like drinking, drug abuse, sexual transgressions and addictions, and other out-of-control behaviors, can lead to personal or professional disaster.
Do I Really Need Help? Why Can’t I Do It Myself?
You may have tried a dozen or a hundred times to get over your problems. You may have made resolutions and promised your loved ones over and over that you will do better. But it hasn’t worked.
You are not alone. Many problems can’t be willed away, nor can you think your way out of them. That’s because they’re part of you – not a part you like, but you can’t just cut them away. To deal with them, it helps to have a partner and guide, someone who can show you the way.
What’s more, most “head” problems aren’t head problems at all. They’re heart problems. They start in the very place most men are taught not to go – in the emotions they have learned to deny. They get resolved by going to the “heart” of the matter, facing who you are, where you’ve been, what you feel, what you want, and what you deny.
Why See A Male Therapist?
Many men feel safer going to a woman to work on their problems.
They feel that a woman would be more understanding and accepting, and they fear being criticized and judged, and even shamed, if they open up to another man.
Given what most men have experienced in their lives from other male figures, that’s no surprise.
But it can be enormously therapeutic to have your deepest thoughts and feelings understood, accepted and responded to (perhaps for the very first time) by another man.
And sometimes, to face some truly thorny issues and difficult feelings and get through them, it may be easier to say them to another man.
For nearly twenty years I’ve helped men with anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, relationship problems, underachievement, job stress, sexual identity confusion, addictive behaviors (including sex addictions and compulsions) and overcoming a childhood of emotional, sexual or physical abuse. In that time I’ve helped countless men face themselves, accept themselves, conquer their demons, live up to their commitments....
And become the man they’ve always wanted to be.
So, Now What?
It takes courage to face what you’ve never been willing to face before.
It takes time, energy and the willingness to go past your comfort zone.
But that’s when you’ll get what you’ve always wanted:
Real strength and real control – and the satisfaction of relationships that really work.
Are you ready?
Is it time?
What’s the cost of not doing it?
If you’re ready to begin living life from a deeper sense of integrity and emotional satisfaction, then call or contact me to arrange our first session.
Larry Letich and Frederick Counseling serve the suburban Maryland and Washington, DC area, including: Washington, D.C., Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Kensington, Takoma Park, Silver Spring, College Park, Wheaton, Rockville, Gaithersburg, Potomac, North Potomac, Germantown, Clarksburg, Boyds, Frederick, Myersville, Middletown, Walkersville, Thurmont, Hagerstown, Mt. Airy, Woodsboro, New Market, Boonesboro, Brunswick, Poolesville, Barnsville, Beallsville, and the following communities in Virginia: Arlington, Alexandria, Langley, McLean, Great Falls, Falls Church, Vienna. Larry Letich offers counseling and psychotherapy to women, men and couples dealing with anxiety, depression, underachievement, obstacles to creativity, especially writing, and sexual identity confusion.