Breaking down the barriers

Most men are trained from earliest childhood to suppressemotional distress, to avoid the subtle signals of interpersonalconflicts, to experience humiliation at the first hint of failure,and most of all, to resist asking for help. In this much-neededbook, Gary Brooks shares his experience of working with resistantmale clients and shows how to overcome this resistance and achievepositive results. Brooks reveals how compassion, respect, empathy,and sensitivity to men's defenses help break down barriers and makethem amenable to the therapeutic process.

GARY R. BROOKS is the chief of psychology service at the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System, Temple, Texas and former president of Division 51—the Society for Psychological Study of Men and Masculinity—of the American Psychological Association. He is an associate professor in psychiatry and behavioral sciences with the Texas A&M University Health Science Center, adjunct faculty member at Baylor University, and instructor of men's studies with Texas Women's University.