What I find most interesting as a counselor
Every person has a story; most have more than one going on at the same time. Tragedy and triumph, heartbreak and heroism, every one of them is unique and worth hearing. In the stories I have heard, there are some themes that stand out the most which I find fascinating for a host of reasons. the soundbite descriptions are below.
Existential Depression
When self-made meaning crumbles, men realize they don’t have the answers to carry them through life. The collapse of that illusion opens the door to depression. Where does a person go from here?
Perpetuated Abjection
A life defined by gathering wounds from an early age, all of them colliding—trauma, tragedy, addiction, betrayal. Like hurricanes merging, the storm becomes bigger than any single diagnosis.
Moral & Soul Wounds
The deepest wounds come from betrayal by trusted institutions—churches, governments, families. These scars strike at the very soul and demand more than coping specifically because they are a nexus of emotions and experiences.
Burnout, Resiliency, and Sabbath
When the work that once felt like a calling now feels like captivity, burnout sets in. Purpose collapses, and passion turns into survival. Resiliency is both the cultivation of long term resource habits and pools to survive the constant onslaught of life. Sabbath as a sacred rest and point of reconnection with God.
Faith (Re)construction
Deconstruction happened when you set out to refine your faith, but ended up burning down your shelter. What remains is rubble, doubt, and the shock that you don't know how to build anything back up again. Reconstruction is learning from sages long gone, how best to rebuild and finding solid ground again.
Practical Neuroscience
The brain can be rewired. By understanding how thoughts, habits, and emotions shape neural pathways, men can retrain their minds for resilience, clarity, and strength.