Prioritizing the Mental Health of Young Men Through Therapy
Therapy For Young Men in Petaluma, CA and Online
According to the National Institute of Mental Illness (1), 40% of high school students experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in 2023. Approximately 1 in 3 young adults (age 18-25) experienced mental ‘illness’ in 2024. There are many statistics which paint a dire picture of mental health for teens and those in early adulthood.
Young men often have specific challenges related to the development of their emotional well-being. This period of life is full of tumultuous transition, and it can be hard to sort through competing desires, fears, expectations and relationships. If young men feel they can’t talk about these things, their capacity to develop healthy relationships throughout their lives may be impaired.
Therapy can help young men learn skills they will use for the rest of their lives
Meeting with a therapist is unlike every other kind of meeting we have in this society. Through the therapy relationship, we learn how to relate to and ask questions about our experience in new ways. We learn how to talk about what is happening inside of us. We discuss our assumptions about ourselves, others, and the world and learn to try on new perspectives. When talk with someone (like a therapist) who doesn’t have an agenda for us, we can discover the truth about our experience in the small moments of our lives. Over time, we develop confidence in our ability to express our emotions and understand how they enrich our lives and our relationships.
About Me
Hi, I’m Dr. Scott Menasco. I’ve been doing transformative work since I had a revelation in college that my life felt empty. This led me down a path of discovery (incl. volunteering as a wildlife Ranger in South Africa photo included). I began studying psychologies of the “East” and “West,” and in my early 20s I enrolled in school to become a psychotherapist.
I have a passion for helping men discover themselves and enrich their lives. I know how challenging it can be to navigate the world with integrity. I also have seen how therapy can support us in practicing this path.
Therapy Can Help Young Men
Improve their relationships
Learn to express the connection between emotions, desires, and needs
Reduce Stress
Manage difficult emotions such as anger, fear, jealousy
Heal from perfectionism; develop healthy self-esteem
Explore meaning and purpose
Getting Started Is Easy
Reach out to schedule a free consultation. Meet with Dr. Menasco to explore what you hope to get from therapy and ask any questions you have about working with him.
FAQ
How do I know I am ready for therapy?
You are likely ready for therapy if you are noticing that something about how you are operating in your relationships, or inside yourself feels unsustainable. Perhaps there is anxiety, or depressive type symptoms. Perhaps you are irritated all the time. You are ready for therapy if you are willing to put in effort on a weekly basis, show up to meetings, apply ideas and practices outside of meetings.
Can ChatGPT be my therapist?
ChatGPT can give you concepts, but it can not give you therapy. Therapy isn’t just about the therapist giving the client ‘tools.’ It is a much deeper, relational process that unfolds over time. Time and time again I see clients flooded with ‘tools’ struggle to implement them. Therapy is not merely about tools. It is an exercise of relational self-discovery between two embodied humans.
How Long Does Therapy Take?
Whether you are actively in therapy or not self-discovery is a lifelong endeavor. I am not saying you need to be in therapy forever. Rather, that the process of healing that you embark on doesn’t just stop one day. If we come to therapy and expect ourselves to be completely changed in three months, or a year, or whatever, we are likely to be disappointed. Is it possible? Sure. Probable? No. Most of the times the patterns we are working on have developed over decades. It’s best to have a healthy respect for this.
All that said, in most cases I expect to see concrete progress after a few months. Often it happens sooner. Sometimes it takes longer. I evaluate this with my clients as we go.