Jon Sperry, associate professor in Lynn University's College of Arts and Sciences, hosted an on-campus workshop focusing on men's mental health, "Fish Out of Water: Exploring cultural and developmental factors impacting men's participation in therapy." Sperry welcomed local clinicians, social workers and psychologists to Lynn's campus to learn and discuss potential therapeutic barriers while working with men. Lynn's psychology and clinical mental health counseling students also joined the event to gain the tools necessary for treating men in their future careers.
"As therapists and academics, we have seen how men can struggle in therapy," said Sperry. "That's why we wanted to address men's mental health with an open and honest conversation here at Lynn."
Alumnus Phil Treiber '20 presented his talk titled "Fish Out of Water." Treiber is devoted to teaching others about mental health awareness for men. After he graduated from Lynn with an M.S. in clinical and mental health counseling, he founded Dude, Breathe Counseling, which focuses on addressing men's health issues, helps break down stigmas and encourages men to seek help for mental health challenges.
Treiber's extensive training allowed him to develop his own distinctive program to help clinicians understand how to treat men seeking help for their mental health issues. At the "Fish Out of Water" event, Treiber explained the concept of masculinity and the various factors that influence male identity development. Trieber also spoke on the developmental, social and historical reasons why men may not be the best candidates for talk therapy, and shared creative concepts on building a therapeutic space that resonates with male clients.
"Phil's work with men's mental health is important for both clinicians and our students," said Sperry. "I was glad he was able to come to Lynn and share his expertise with us and our attendees."
"Fish Out of Water" was the second collaborated effort for the clinical mental health counseling program in 2023. During Mental Health Awareness Month, Lynn hosted a discussion and documentary screening in collaboration with The Quell Foundation. The event was created to help normalize the conversation around mental health in the first responder community—an audience who may suffer from mental health issues due to their line of work.
Both events provided continuing education hours to clinicians and offered networking opportunities. Clinical mental health counseling professors anticipate maintaining its informational presentations and education opportunities for clinical mental health counseling alumni and local mental health providers in the community.
"We strive to bring our local clinicians and students essential information about mental health," said Sperry. "And we're grateful that we have a place like Lynn University where we can host these events for current and future mental health practitioners."
