How Modern Therapy Is Failing Men
(Interview with Chris Hemmings)
Listen To the ‘Love & Cherish’ Podcast
In this episode of the Love and Cherish Podcast, I’m joined by therapist and coach Chris Hemmings for a direct and deeply thoughtful conversation about men, masculinity, and why so many men feel unseen, misunderstood, or alienated by modern therapy.
Chris works exclusively with men and is the founder of Men’s Therapy Hub, a UK directory created to help men find male therapists who genuinely understand male psychology and lived experience. Before training as a therapist, Chris was a BBC journalist, researching and producing work on men, masculinity, and mental health, which gives him a rare mix of clinical insight and cultural perspective.
Together, we explore why men are a minority on both sides of the therapy room, why so many men drop out of therapy early, and how the profession itself may be unintentionally failing the very men it claims to support.
This is not an anti-therapy conversation. It’s a pro-good-therapy conversation, and a call to take men’s suffering seriously, without shaming, caricaturing, or dismissing them.
In this episode, we explore:
- Why men are a minority in the therapy profession and among therapy clients
- Why many men drop out of therapy feeling misunderstood or judged
- How male socialisation shapes emotional expression and help-seeking
- Why shame plays such a powerful role in men’s mental health
- The limits of “just talking about feelings” for many men
- Why action, direction, and accountability often matter to male clients
- How men can find therapists who respect them as human beings
- Why supporting men properly benefits women, families, and society
Key themes from the conversation
A recurring theme throughout this episode is that men are not broken, but many therapeutic models are poorly matched to how men experience distress, process emotion, and recover.
Chris speaks powerfully about men being a “minority on both sides of the sofa”, with relatively few male therapists and even fewer men accessing therapy. When men do seek help, it is often late, when they are already overwhelmed, ashamed, or close to breaking point.
We also talk about how cultural narratives around masculinity, privilege, and toxicity can leave men feeling like a problem rather than a person, and how this atmosphere makes it harder for men to trust therapeutic spaces.
At the same time, we emphasise hope. Good therapy can be transformative. Men can change their lives quickly when they feel respected, understood, and supported by someone who knows how to work with them.
About my guest: Chris Hemmings
Chris Hemmings is a therapist and coach who specialises in working with men.
He is the founder of Men’s Therapy Hub, a directory connecting men with male therapists across the UK. Chris is also the founder of M-Path, an organisation that works in schools to help young people explore masculinity, identity, and emotional wellbeing.
Before training as a therapist, Chris worked as a BBC journalist, producing documentaries focused on men, masculinity, and mental health. His work sits at the intersection of therapy, culture, and male lived experience.
Listen to Chris’s Podcast
🎧 No Man’s an Island Podcast
- Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/no-mans-an-island/id1849171262 - Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/5QgINHeUZKorBCE4LBoBXF?si=6122fd9650e04e7f
Follow Chris and Men’s Therapy Hub
- Men’s Therapy Hub Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/menstherapyhub/ - Men’s Therapy Hub LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/menstherapyhub/ - Men’s Therapy Hub YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@MensTherapyHub
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