This Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) is a companion to TIP 51, Substance Abuse Treatment: Addressing the Specific Needs of Women. These two volumes look at how gender-specific treatment strategies can improve outcomes for men and women, respectively. The physical, psychological, social, and spiritual effects of substance use and abuse on men can be quite different from the effects on women, and those differences have implications for treatment in behavioral health settings. Men are also affected by social and cultural forces in different ways than women, and physical differences between the genders influence substance use and recovery as well. This TIP, Addressing the Specific Behavioral Health Needs of Men, addresses these distinctions. It provides practical information based on available evidence and clinical experience that can help counselors more effectively treat men with substance use disorders.

Historically, standard behavioral health services for substance abuse have been designed with male clients in mind. As the number of women presenting for substance abuse services increased, clinicians began to understand that women had different treatment needs than men, related to differences in their patterns of substance use and their perceptions of both the problem of substance abuse and its treatment. Researchers began to investigate how standard substance abuse treatment in a variety of behavioral health settings can be altered to improve outcomes for women. In the process, they have gained insight into how men's and women's responses to substance abuse and substance abuse treatment differ. These insights can also improve treatment for men. New research in the areas of gender studies and men's studies can help providers understand why men abuse substances and how to address masculine values in treatment.

Contents

• Consensus Panel
• KAP Expert Panel and Federal Government Participants
• What Is a TIP?
• Foreword
• Executive Summary
• 1. Creating the Context
  • Introduction
  • Defining Sex and Gender
  • Defining Substance Abuse and Dependence
  • Conceptual Frameworks of Masculinity and Male Roles
  • Gender Role Conflict and Masculine Role Stress
  • Men's Substance Abuse
  • State of the Field
  • Audience for This TIP
• 2. Screening and Assessment
  • Introduction
  • Screening and Assessment of Men
  • Comprehensive Screening and Assessment
• 3. Treatment Issues for Men
  • Introduction
  • Treating Men for Substance Abuse: General Considerations
  • Counselors' Gender: Some Considerations
  • Counseling Men Who Have Difficulty Accessing or Expressing Emotions
  • Counseling Men Who Feel Excessive Shame
  • Counseling Men With Histories of Violence
  • Counseling Men About Sexual Issues
  • Family Issues
  • Spirituality and Religion
• 4. Working With Specific Populations of Men in Behavioral Health Settings
  • Introduction
  • Men With Co-Occurring Disorders
  • Men With Physical Health Problems
  • Men From Different Age Groups
  • Gay and Bisexual Men
  • Men With Employment or Career-Related Issues
  • Men With Systems-Related Needs
  • Men From Diverse Cultural and Geographic Groups
  • Conclusion
• 5. Treatment Modalities and Settings
  • Introduction
  • Detoxification
  • Treatment Modalities
  • Treatment Strategies
  • Treatment Settings
  • Mutual-Help Groups
  • Community Influences
  • Helping Men Live With the Residual Effects of Substance Abuse
• Appendix A. Bibliography
• Appendix B. Glossary
• Appendix C. Resource Panel
• Appendix D. Field Reviewers
• Appendix E. Acknowledgments

Suggested citation:

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Addressing the Specific Behavioral Health Needs of Men. Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series 56. HHS Publication No. (SMA) 13-4736. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2013.

The views, opinions, and content expressed herein are those of the expert panel and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or policies of SAMHSA or HHS. No official support of or endorsement by SAMHSA or HHS for these opinions or for particular instruments, software, or resources is intended or should be inferred.