‘…I Felt I Was Failing’: Australian Therapists' Experiences on the Challenges of Engaging Adolescent Males in Counselling and Psychotherapy

IF 1.3 Q3 PSYCHOLOGY, CLINICAL

Counselling & Psychotherapy Research Pub Date : 2026-04-03 DOI:10.1002/capr.70112

Sarah Sadiqi, Micah Boerma

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Abstract

Objective

Adolescent males remain a difficult population to engage in counselling and psychotherapy despite being at a high risk for mental health problems. Limited training opportunities exist to prepare therapists to support this specific population. The aim of this study was to explore the common challenges that Australian therapists face when working with young men to guide future training and intervention.

Method

Semi-structured interviews were completed with 13 Australian therapists, including psychologists, psychiatrists, counsellors and social workers, who were recruited through professional association websites and publications. Responses were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.

Results

Three themes and eight subthemes were developed: (1) therapists' lack of confidence when working with young men; (2) young men as pressured and ill-prepared to attend therapy; and (3) young men's reluctance to ‘open up’ throughout therapy.

Conclusion

The challenges provided by Australian therapists align with the broader international literature highlighting young men's reluctance towards counselling and psychotherapy and warrants the need for a concerted research agenda to engage this population. Responses from therapists showed that young men's disengagement and resistance in therapy create challenges for therapists when it comes to building therapeutic rapport and can subsequently stymie young men's continued engagement with mental health services. Recommendations for future research and intervention are discussed.

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“……我觉得我失败了”：澳大利亚治疗师关于让青少年男性参与咨询和心理治疗的挑战的经验

目的：尽管青少年男性存在心理健康问题的高风险，但他们仍然是难以接受心理咨询和心理治疗的人群。培训治疗师以支持这一特定人群的机会有限。本研究的目的是探讨澳大利亚治疗师在与年轻男性一起工作时面临的共同挑战，以指导未来的培训和干预。方法采用半结构化访谈法，对通过专业协会网站和出版物招募的13名澳大利亚治疗师进行访谈，包括心理学家、精神科医生、咨询师和社工。使用反身性主题分析对回应进行分析。结果本研究共开发了3个主题和8个副主题：(1)心理治疗师在治疗青年男性时缺乏自信；(2)年轻男性承受压力，且接受治疗的准备不足；(3)年轻男性在整个治疗过程中不愿“敞开心扉”。澳大利亚治疗师提出的挑战与更广泛的国际文献一致，强调年轻男性不愿接受咨询和心理治疗，并保证需要一个协调一致的研究议程，以吸引这一人群。治疗师的反应表明，年轻男性在治疗中的脱离和抵抗给治疗师带来了挑战，当涉及到建立治疗关系时，可能会阻碍年轻男性继续参与心理健康服务。讨论了今后研究和干预的建议。

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来源期刊

Counselling & Psychotherapy Research PSYCHOLOGY, CLINICAL-

CiteScore

4.40

自引率

12.50%

发文量

期刊介绍： Counselling and Psychotherapy Research is an innovative international peer-reviewed journal dedicated to linking research with practice. Pluralist in orientation, the journal recognises the value of qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods strategies of inquiry and aims to promote high-quality, ethical research that informs and develops counselling and psychotherapy practice. CPR is a journal of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy, promoting reflexive research strongly linked to practice. The journal has its own website: www.cprjournal.com. The aim of this site is to further develop links between counselling and psychotherapy research and practice by offering accessible information about both the specific contents of each issue of CPR, as well as wider developments in counselling and psychotherapy research. The aims are to ensure that research remains relevant to practice, and for practice to continue to inform research development.