Presented by: Sam Swisher, PhD, Virginia Tech

Strong, supportive social relationships are vital to well-being. Recent trends in the United States, however indicate that the amount of time adults spend with friends is declining at an alarming rate, with American’s spending less than half the amount of time they spent with friends two decades ago.

Gender socialization, the process by which individuals internalize social norms about gender, results in men tending to value strength, self-reliance, and emotional control in themselves. These tendencies can make engaging in the communication and vulnerability needed to build connection feel unfamiliar or difficult. While social isolation, loneliness, and the work of building friendships are not challenges exclusive to men, the obstacles men encounter in these areas often take on distinct, gender-related dimensions.

How then can clinicians better understand and support men in their friendships? This presentation will cover: how men of marginalized identities stand to benefit from close relationship, what men see as the strengths of their friendships, and provide clinicians with practical ways to support men in their pursuit and maintenance of meaningful connections. Clinical strategies about how to normalize the challenges men face when it comes to friendships and listen for the strengths that men value in their friendships will be discussed.

At the end of the talk, participants will be able to:

1. Identify three nation-wide trends associated with men’s relationships friendships

2. Identify and name at least three evidence-based benefits of men’s friendships

3. Provide two ways of normalizing men’s concerns about friendships

Register here: Forms

Presented by: Kyle M. Brasil, PhD, Northwest Nazarene University

This presentation is intended for those who are or are interested in working with rural men. The first portion of the presentation will cover introductory information related to rural men’s experiences. Specifically, identifying common service access-related barriers. We then will discuss ways that providers can advocate for and address these barriers in their practices. The second portion of the presentation will then discuss the limited research on evidence-based interventions specific to rural communities, let alone rural men. This discussion will highlight what support there is and introduce clinicians to therapeutic interventions/skills that can be used with rural men that emerging evidence supports.

At the end of the talk, participants will be able to:

1. Identify 3 common therapy and assessment access-related issues for rural men.

2. Create 2 plans to increase access to services for rural men.

3. Apply emerging evidence-supported interventions for working with rural men.

Register here: Form