Male Psychology Section

• Barry JA, Kingerlee R, Seager MJ and Sullivan L (Eds.) (2019). The Palgrave Handbook of Male Psychology and Mental Health. London: Palgrave Macmillan IBSN 978-3-030-04384-1
• Bates, E. A., & Taylor, J. C. (Eds.). (2019). Intimate partner violence: new perspectives in research and practice. London: Routledge.
• Liddon, L. and Barry, J.A. (2021). Perspectives in Male Psychology: An Introduction. New Jersey: Wiley. ISBN: 978-1-119-68535-7

'Helping Male Survivors of Sexual Violation to Recover: An integrative approach – stories from therapy' by Sarah Van Gogh

"...'Helping Male Survivors of Sexual Violation to Recover', can be considered a valuable asset to therapists of any school who want to learn effective approaches to help men to overcome the trauma of child sexual abuse."

Read the review

• A Comprehensive Model of Human Courtship: A Synthesis of the Psychologies to Decode Love and Romance 
• A Demographic Perspective on Gender, Family and Health in Europe
• A Serious Laughter Revolution in Teaching
• A tonic for the toxic narrative on masculinity
• Acronyms and Male Mental Health
• Are men treated as 'less equal' by the therapy professions?
• Child contact problems and family court issues are related to chronic mental health problems for men following family breakdown. Barry, J. A., & Liddon, L. (2020) Psychreg Journal of Psychology, 4(3), 57-66
• Dads should not be sneered at for taking their little daughters to the women's toilets
• Do Mothers Matter? A Comparison of Models of the Influence of Mothers' and Fathers' Educational and Occupational Status on Children's Educational Attainment
• Exploring access and engagement with Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services, before, during, and after the COVID-19 lockdown: A service evaluation in the Northwest of England
• Finding Meaning: Masculinity in Crisis
• Gender differences in long-term outcome of Brief Therapy for employees. Wright, K.J.R. & McLeod, J. (2016) New Male Studies, 5(2), 88-110.
• Gender differences in preferences for psychological treatment, coping strategies, and triggers to help-seeking.(link is external) Liddon, L. Kingerlee, R. & Barry, J.A. (2017) British Journal of Clinical Psychology, doi: 10.1111/bjc.12147.
• Gratismut ("Free courage")
• How can a single dad be the best dad he can be?
• How can you help men who are falsely accused of sexual abuse?
• How Feminism Is Stifling Our Sons
• Imbalance of Genders in Psychology. 80% of clinical psychologists are women. What is being done to address this gender imbalance?
• Improving Support and Services for Older Men experiencing Domestic Abuse
• Inside the violent, misogynistic world of TikTok's new star
• Is having a haircut good for your mental health? Roper T. & Barry, J.A. (2016) New Male Studies, 5(2), 58-75
• Is it an exaggeration to talk of a 'gender war'?
• Job satisfaction, relationship, stability, and valuing one's health are the strongest predictors of men's mental well-being. Barry, J. A. (2020) Psychreg Journal of Psychology, 4(3), 4 - 27
• Legal and Administrative Intimate Partner Violence
• Lockdown Fathers
• Male involvement in randomised trials testing psychotherapy or behavioural interventions for depression: a scoping review
• Masculinity in Brazil: the man, the he-goat and the scapegoat
• Masculinity, Social Connectedness, and Mental Health: Men's Diverse Patterns of Practice
• Men are increasingly getting a bad press, Philip Davies
• Men, masculinity, and the contexts of help seeking
• Men's Experience of Intimate Partner Violence: findings from Norway
• New report highlights our biggest worries, who's seeking help, and how they're accessing it
• One man's experience of how the family court system can impact the mental health of fathers
• Outcomes of Family Justice Children's Proceedings – a Review of the Evidence
• Parental Alienation - The long, dark shadow of parental alienation
• Piece Report
• Paternal involvement: Levels, sources, and consequences, Pleck (1997)
• Psychologists' Clinical Evaluations and Attitudes: An Examination of the Influence of Gender and Sexual Orientation
• Reactions to contemporary narratives about masculinity: A pilot study. Barry JA, Walker R, Liddon L, & Seager MJ (2020) Psychreg Journal of Psychology, 4, 2, 8-21.
• Sexual harassment is a routine part of life, schoolchildren tell Ofsted
• Shared care, father's involvement in care and family well-being outcomes
• Supporting Active Fatherhood in Britain
• The 12 characteristics most important in causing addiction, and in treating addiction
• The All-Party Parliamentary Group report on Issues Affecting Men and Boys is a welcome step in the right direction, but must not be led astray, as initiatives have been in the past
• 'The APA guidelines are disparaging of men and boys'
• The APA has changed its view of masculinity
• The development of my father's career in psychology, and how the field changed during the 20th century from being male-dominated to female-dominated
• The double whammy of being a survivor of domestic abuse who is blind and male
• The Effects of Father Involvement: An Updated Research Summary of the Evidence
• The Fatherhood Institute
• The role of masculinity in men's help-seeking for depression: A systematic review
• The Science Of Dad And The 'Father Effect'
• The State of UK Boys
• The winner takes it all": Japan's controversial sole custody system
• There is no 'war on men' – we now know feminism is good for boys
• Twelve Scholars Respond to the APA's Guidance for Treating Men and Boys
• 'We can treat people fairly and respectfully even if men and women aren't identical on average on every trait'
• We need a sophisticated international approach to understanding the mental health needs of boys and girls
• What are the factors that make a male-friendly therapy? Barry JA, Kingerlee R, Seager MJ and Sullivan L (Eds.) (2019). Palgrave Handbook of Male Psychology and Mental Health
• What was missing from the BBC Panorama exploration of domestic violence
• What's happened to the blue collar male, and why does it matter?
• Why are construction workers at risk?
• Why do male victims of violence seem to disappear like magic?
• Why does the law underestimate the psychosocial benefits of fathers?
• Why fathers are important, especially for boys
• Women scientists 'distract men, fall in love with them and cry when criticised,'
• Women's Use of Violence With Male Intimate Partners
• Working effectively with fathers to reduce parental conflict
• Working out dads: Father-Absent Homes: Implications for Criminal Justice and Mental Health Professionals
• 'Working Out Dads' to promote men's mental and physical health in early fatherhood: A mixed-methods evaluation
• Written evidence from The Centre for Male Psychology for the inquiry into men's health
• Woke Therapy Weakens the Client

• Practice Briefing - psychological interventions to help male adults
• Practice briefing – Psychologcal interventions to help male adults (Lithuanian)
• Practice briefing – Psychologcal interventions to help male adults (Portuguese)

How is a man supposed to be a man?

Editor of The Psychologist Jon Sutton reports from a British Psychological Society Male Psychology Section mini-conference.

Being a Man - putting life before death

Martin Seager and David Wilkins address the need for this special feature on male psychology.

Engaging with the emotional lives of men

Roger Kingerlee, Duncan Precious, Luke Sullivan and John Barry consider the design of male-specific services and interventions.

A boy today

First report from an all-party parliamentary group on issues affecting men and boys, with input from psychologists.

Inclusivity is critical

Elizabeth Bates is Chair of the Male Psychology Section of the British Psychological Society. Her research interests centre on male victims of female perpetrated partner violence as well as the broader issue of domestic violence and abuse.

Contact: [email protected]

Dr Kevin Wright is a Chartered Counselling Psychologist, Chartered Scientist and Fellow of the BPS.

He previously worked as a High Intensity integrative psychotherapy in the IAPT (Improved Access to Psychological Treatment) service in south London and is still now also an EAP affiliate for various provider companies (Employment Assistance Programmes) offering free brief therapy to employees and their family members via their employer including treating many accident victims suffering from PTSD.

He is an Expert witness carrying out psychological and cognitive assessments for the family (custody & care proceedings), immigration & criminal courts and he also runs numerous resilience workshops for senior legal professionals working for the CPS. He is also committee member of the Society for Psychotherapy Research (UK Chapter). His PhD research focussed on stress in the work place and the changes in coping strategies as a result of brief therapy treatment via an EAP programme, through this he became interested in the gender differences in responses.

He is at present focussing how to offer a brief effective protocol for the treatment of PTSD also looking at gender differences in responses; the role/importance of fathers in the prevention of crime in young men

Tim is currently working as a self-employed Educational and Child Psychologist with families and schools, mainly in the Northwest of England. Prior to setting up his own practice, New Horizons Psychology Ltd, he was a senior psychologist in a local authority also in the Northwest of England. 

Tim has worked for over thirty years in the fields of education, social care and psychology. During this time, he has developed interests and knowledge in the social and emotional aspects of learning as well as in the areas of resilience, developmental trauma, identity and the lives lived by 'care experienced' children.

As well as working with schools and families, Tim is involved with an independent fostering agency, in the North of England. He provides consultation support and training within this organisation.

Tim currently supervises a range of psychology, education, and safeguarding professionals. He is an accredited trainer by the CPD Certification Service and has delivered seminars and workshops at a regional and national level.

Tim has been a contributor to the education psychology courses at Edge Hill University and has been an external reviewer for a 'learning passport' developed for refugees and 'a positive psychology' intervention for teenagers. Tim has been a facilitator of conflict transformation training (Integrative Complexity - IC). IC has been developed and licenced through the University of Cambridge and is focused on reducing radicalisation and extremism. 

Tim has recently been part of a British Psychological Society (BPS) working group, who are developing the national supervision guidelines for all fields of psychology.

He is on the committee for the Male Psychology section of the BPS because he is passionate about ensuring that current research and 'lived experience', helps to promote equity for men and boys within government policies and media representation.

Tim has recently given presentations on the topic of 'retelling the message of toxic masculinity'.

John Barry is a Chartered Psychologist and Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society, Honorary Lecturer in Psychology at University College London, clinical hypnotherapist, and author of over 60 peer-reviewed publications on a variety of topics in psychology and medicine, including many on Male Psychology.

He has also co-authored letters to The Psychologist to raise awareness of issues relevant to Male Psychology.

John co-founded both the Male Psychology Network and the Male Psychology Section of the British Psychological Society (BPS), and has been lead organiser of the Male Psychology Conference (2014-present), and co-editor of the Palgrave Handbook of Male Psychology and Mental Health (2019). Previous to the role of Chair, he has been the Honorary Secretary of the Male Psychology Section.

John's interest is not only in Male Psychology; his PhD was on the Psychological Aspects of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, which is also the title of his book published by Palgrave Macmillan (2019). His new book, Perspectives in Male Psychology: An Introduction, co-authored with Louise Liddon, is being published by Wiley in Dec 2020

Dr Rebecca Owens is a lecturer in Psychology at the University off Sunderland, a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and a Chartered member of the BPS.

Becci has worked at Sunderland for ten years, during her PhD as an academic tutor, and gaining a permanent contract on completion of her PhD in 2016. Her PhD examined competitiveness in men, taking an evolutionary perspective on sex differences in physiology, endocrinology, and how these impact on male psychology.

This led to an interest in sex differences generally, with a focus on male psychology specifically. Becci is interested in distortions in the perceptions of men and women, such as the Gamma bias; the impact of gender roles on mental health and wellbeing, and sex differences in the response to trauma and psychological distress.

Other research areas Becci is interested in, separately and in conjunction with male psychology, is body modifications, and mating strategies, sex and relationships.

Becci is also a co-author of a chapter in the Palgrave Handbook of Male Psychology and Mental Health 2019 "From Fetuses to Boys to Men: The Impact of Testosterone on Male Lifespan Development."

Hello all – just a little about me and my interest in male psychology.

I been working with children and families now for 30 years – in childcare, education and psychology - but I started out in manufacturing engineering.   Many of the young people, mainly young men, I employed had poor literacy and numeracy skills - I felt they hadn't been well served by the education system.  This led to me re-training as a teacher.  Here I developed a desire to better understand and tackle the barriers faced by young people, mainly boys labelled as SEBD, which led to me studying psychology. 

As a HCPC Registered Counselling Psychologist much of my work is with separated families and people experiencing family breakdown. I work with those who have experience of intimate partner violence or domestic abuse, particularly post-separation abuse.  I can't help but notice the chasm that exists in recognition, understanding and provision of support between male and female victim-survivors, and perpetrators.  

My interest extends too to the mental health and life challenges of men – our willingness as a society to recognise general sex differences and respond accordingly.  Changing male roles, discrimination against men as fathers and in certain occupations, the global high suicide rate of men, and sexual abuse and exploitation of boys and young men.

I am current Chair of the BPS Division of Counselling Psychology.

Kiran Marwaha is a current MSc student studying Psychological Therapies via distance learning at Queen Mary University.

Her interest in male psychology was sparked by reading the shocking statistic about men being 3 times more likely to take their own lives than women and began to ask herself whether we were missing out crucial parts of men's experiences in psychological research and intervention. As a person with a disability herself, Kiran is excited to take up this position as Disability rep to look how the experience of disability could be shaped in various ways by being male. This is a broad topic area and she is keen to look at it from many angles using whatever research methodology suits our questions.

Her other interests in psychology include criticality around distress and community psychology. Kiran has been doing comedy improv for several months which she loves and is also a quizzer in the quiz league of London.

• Full access to our website
• Opportunities to influence and take part in the development of the section
• Opportunity to voice your opinion, either at the Section's AGM and/or by becoming a member of the section's committee
• Regular updates via our membership announcement e-mail list

The Male Psychology Section uses its membership announcement email list to inform its members of activities and initiatives that are relevant to their interests and to make requests for engagement on topical issues. 

By becoming a member of the Section you are automatically added to the announcement list.

To receive these emails you will need to:

1. become a member of the Male Psychology Section
2. opt into receiving email communication and provide a working email address

These preferences can be updated by logging into your member portal.

If you have any queries, please contact Member Network Services.

To assist us in responding to your query please make sure to include your membership number and quote 'Male Psychology Section announcement email' in the subject line.

The Male Psychology Section relies on a wide range of people getting involved, and the work of the Section is largely achieved through the dedication of unpaid volunteers.

Our volunteers come from a wide range of different backgrounds, whether they be practitioners or academics, or full members or student members, and together form an open and inclusive community.