History Of Men’s Health Movement in Australia

or an in-depth understanding of my therapeutic orientation to men’s group-work it’s important to pinpoint it’s development in time and history. The men’s health and wellbeing movement in an Australian context was drawing heavily from two primary sources of inspiration.

Primarily a lot of lay facilitators (meaning non-medically or psychologically trained) were citing Robert Bly’s iconic book ‘Iron John’ and Steve Biddulph’s ‘Manhood’ in the ‘doings’ of men’s work.

From these works and a general need in the community, combined with the new emerging literature in the post-modernist movements and the fourth wave of psychotherapy in general, the men’s health and well-being movement pushed forward.

Projects including the formation of the nation-wide online counselling service Men’s-line, brought more attention to men’s mental health needs in general.

‘Famous faces’ on the Australian music landscape that contributed musically to men’s health and well-being awareness also assisted in raising it’s profile. In Northern New South Wales, the ‘Fatherhood Project’ gathered momentum and celebrated all that was ‘good’ in men.

It is from these origins that I draw my current framework and orientation to ‘men’s-work’.