North East men urged to seek mental health support before breaking point
New research shows 70 percent of men would only consider therapy at crisis point
A Durham counsellor is urging men across the region to seek mental health support before reaching "breaking point".
New research shows 70 percent of men would only consider therapy at crisis point - with a fear of being seen as weak the biggest barrier.
Sara Mathews, a Durham representative at the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, said: "One of the things that people struggle with at therapy is just talking. But there's a lot more to it than just having a chat because you're not talking to a friend, you're talking to somebody who is trained to be able to help you to take an outside view.
"What's emerging from the research is that men feel that they need to deal with their problems on their own, so there's a whole kind of gendered, cultured dimension to this about 'I need to be self-sufficient.'
"All the evidence suggests that those men who do access counselling support earlier on in the piece find it super beneficial. I think the stats are something like, you know, 70 odd percent of them feel like it actually makes them stronger.
"Be aware that anybody can call themselves a therapist. It's not a kind of regulated profession in the UK, so you need to make sure that you're getting a registered therapist with an organisation such as the BACP."