A group for men who are ready to draw on their courage to challenge themselves emotionally within a supportive, shared experience in order to live a more authentic and meaningful life.  This group is built on mutual respect, trust, compassion and wisdom.

Group is accepting new members  –  meetings are held biweekly via Zoom and take place on Wednesdays  5:30-7:00PM

Who this group is for…

  •  Men who sense they are somehow preventing or guarding themselves from living a better, more authentic life and don’t know why but are very curious and determined to figure it out.
  • Men who at times might feel inadequate or feel like life is unfulfilling or overwhelming.
  • Men who want to improve relationships with the people they care about.
  • Men who are looking to build up their self confidence, self awareness and emotional intelligence.
  • Men who are looking to derive a greater sense of purpose in their life through work, art or through Fatherhood.
  • Men who are ready to work with painful emotions such as grief, loneliness, anger, shame or guilt in order to make space for love, gratitude, forgiveness and joy.
  • Men who recognize they have biases and are willing to confront those biases in order to understand and overcome them.

Who this group it is not for…

  •  Men who at this time don’t feel ready to take accountability for their actions and impact on themselves and on others.
  • Men who are not currently and actively managing their impulse control or addictions.
  • Men who are not ready to look within themselves, talk about their personal experiences and instead want to discuss politics, current events, philosophy etc.
  • Men who are not able to acknowledge implicit biases and are not welcoming of other people’s views and lived experiences which may be very different to their own.

What to expect from this Men’s Group?

Men talk, share, practice and respectfully encourage each other to uncover what is holding them back in their lives.  As feelings of trust, respect and safety build up within the group, you will find that working together with other men in the group can help bring awareness and insight into negative repetitive patterns of behaviour in your life and in your relationships. Through the support of the facilitator and group members you can identify the ways in which people receive you and how you impact them.  In addition, the group can help you identify the ways in which you tend to defend yourself from painful thoughts and feelings.   The diversity of the group can also provide you with opportunities to expand and hold multiple perspectives and help you work through your inner conflicts, biases or contradictions and see what is and what is not working for you in life and how to change that.

Within the safety of the group there will be the opportunity to openly address all issues in your life; sex, work, relationships, family, anxiety, struggles with communication, struggles with painful emotions such as anger, shame etc..

All adult men, regardless of age, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, class or religion are welcome.

What are the tools and approaches used by the Facilitator in this Group?

  • Psychoeducation – Knowledge is strength. The facilitator of the group will at times provide mental health education to help you understand the problems you might be facing and help set goals and interventions to better manage your struggles.
  • Psychodynamic Work – Early life experiences, traumas and life stressors shape who we are and what we expect from the world. This psychodynamic group will help you explore how the past might be influencing the present and empower you to make changes.
  • Mindfulness, Meditation and Self Care Practices – Mindfulness and Meditation has been shown to help manage stress, anxiety, pain, difficult feelings and moods. Within the group we will collectively explore some meditation, mindfulness and self care practices.  By listening to your body and learning to harness the power of attention and focus you can create positive shifts in your outlook, body and brain.
  • Communication Skills – The facilitator will guide the group to explore specific communication tools/techniques that will make you a more effective communicator and a better listener.
  • Emotional Awareness – Emotions carry important information from our body. Emotions are key organizers of inner experience and are motivators that nudge you to behave in certain ways.  The group work will help you identify, understand and better manage your feelings and emotions.

 What are the typical Outcomes and Goals associated with psychotherapy?

The typical outcomes or goals associated with psychotherapy are: resolutions of internal conflicts, increased resilience and ability to cope with stressors, difficult feelings or various symptoms, an increased self-awareness, improved relationships and the experience of added meaning in one’s life.  At the core of psychotherapy are techniques that assist individuals in achieving a sense of authenticity and uniqueness.

Format:

This is a virtual group held over Zoom

Groups are limited to 6-8 members and meets every other week for an hour and a half. The groups run from November until the end of April. Group members are asked to commit to ALL sessions to optimize the therapeutic benefits for everyone involved. You may be able to join one of our existing interpersonal groups if there is a spot available.

In order to ensure that this group will be helpful for you, you will participate in one free individual consultation session prior to beginning the group in order to assess your needs, discuss how to get most out of the group, clarify group expectations, identify your personal goals and determine if there is a good fit. This is also an opportunity to address any questions you may have about the group.

Fees

No fee – for the individual initial 30 minute consultation in order to apply for the group.

$75 + tax per session -payments are payable prior to each session vie e-transfer or credit card or auto billing.

Please treat this as an ongoing bi-weekly financial commitment from November through April 2022 and plan accordingly.

Cancellation – 48 Hour Policy

There is no charge if you cancel with more than 48 hours notice.

If you cancel with less than 48 hours notice from the scheduled group time, you will be charged the full session fee.

** A spot in the group is reserved for you. This is a commitment from you. When you don’t show up, you don’t show up for the group.

Insurance

As the facilitator is a Registered Psychotherapist, group fees may be covered in full or in part by private health insurance or employee benefit plans.

Please check your coverage carefully and ask the following questions:

 

  • Do I have mental health insurance benefits that covers psychotherapy conducted by a registered psychotherapist?
  • How much coverage do I have per year?
  • Is there a coverage limit per session?
  • Does my plan reset according to the calendar year?

Privacy and Confidentiality

Your Privacy and Confidentiality are fundamental to the group work.  Feeling safe to share is a key factor in the efficacy of this process.  It is of utmost importance that what is discussed within group is treated with the utmost confidentiality and is not shared outside of the group.  What happens in group stays in group.

It is however important to note that by law, there are a limited number of circumstances where there are limits to confidentiality which are covered during the initial consultation. Some of these include: risk of child abuse, intentions to seriously harm others or oneself, court orders or subpoenas to release information to a third party such as a lawyer or the courts.

Your personal information is treated in accordance with all applicable professional and legal obligations and all reasonable steps to keep your information safe and secure are taken.

For the purposes of providing psychotherapy, we may collect, use or disclose your personal information only with your consent or if the collection, use or disclosure is otherwise permitted or required by law.

In terms of electronic communications, please note email and some means of digital communications such as text are not a secure means of transmission.  As such, it is recommended that you do not use electronic communications to discuss information you think is highly sensitive i.e., personal health information.

Your privacy and confidentiality are paramount, and as such please feel free to raise any specific privacy concerns or requests at any point in time.