Supporting Men in Distress: A Resource for Women

Thoreau's observation that "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation" will come as no surprise to many women. Be it a struggle with illness, relationships, ageing, work, parenting or the shifting expectations of society, most men at some stage of their lives will experience one or more of the situations so accurately described in this book. All too often I have had a woman in my consulting room distressed and at a loss as she struggles to support the man she cares about in a time of crisis. Until now there has been little in the way of a ready resource that could be offered, something that gives tested advice for the most commonly encountered problems that is both easy to understand and to put into action. In this practical 'go to' guide for women supporting men in distress, John Ashfield has distilled the insights gained from decades of working with men on the edge and in raising awareness of the all too tragic outcome of male suicide. A possibly lifesaving book to have within reach for all those who work with women in such difficult circumstances. Dr Mark Johnson, General Practitioner, Hamilton, Victoria This book is a crucial read... for women and men! It highlights the differences between men and women in times of distress and delivers some golden nuggets along the way. As women, we all too often want to help our men in the same way we help our girlfriends, but this book provides bite size chunks of information about the mental health and wellbeing of men and how we can help them. The example prompts that are included will help us have those crucial conversations. Every woman will be able to glance at the contents page of this resource and find a situation they can relate to. This book will be your life-long mentor. Pip Job, 2014 RIRDC National Rural Woman of the Year