When the Manosphere Invades Therapy: Working with Today’s Lost Boys and Men - SPARK Group

8 weeks, 90 minutes per session.

Thursdays 11am - 12:30pm, February 5 to March 26, 2026.

Eligible for 12 CEs | Live On Zoom

Facilitator: Michael Lynch, LMFT

Program Dates: 2/5, 2/12, 2/19, 2/26, 3/5, 3/12, 3/19 & 3/26

Cost of Program: Free for NEAFAST Members; $80 for nonmembers. Become an NEAFAST Member!

Cost of 12 CEs: $170 for NEAFAST members; $180 for nonmembers.

Maximum Participants: 10 (a second cohort may open if there is overwhelming demand)

About "When the Manosphere Invades Therapy: Working with Today’s Lost Boys and Men":

The statistics are overwhelming and the causes are not fully understood - or are hotly debated. But one thing for sure is that boys and men are struggling. Therapists today - for those males who are self-aware enough to go to therapy or are dragged there kicking and screaming by parents and partners - are struggling to break through ice walls of defenses, misunderstandings of stoic philosophy and evolutionary biology and an online culture weaponizing and profiting off a crisis of masculinity. This group will examine how to break through to men and young men adrift in a sea on toxic messaging without labeling, blaming and shaming.

This group will teach specific skills for helping men clarify and identify values, work through historic trauma - specifically "The father wound", better understand and manage anger, and improve relational communication. The group will collaboratively develop techniques and approaches to work with treatment resistant men through peer case consultation and facilitator feedback on specific contemporary challenges men are facing and bringing to therapy.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this program clinicians will be able to better...

1.) Develop ways of creating psychological safety in the therapy room for treatment averse men and boys.

2.) Identify strategies to address special concerns when working with modern men - including isolation, economic insecurity, online sports gambling, pornography and video game addiction plus misogyny, trans & homophobia, and other unhelpful beliefs.

3.) Identify biases within the therapist that could impact therapeutic relationship.

Materials to be used:

Facilitator will provide digital copies of relevant sections of the following books and articles related to each session's theme:

Of Boys and Men – Richard Reeves

The Sacred Path: The Way of the Spiritual Warrior – Dr. Stephen Johnson

Notes on Being a Man - Scott Galloway

Identity, the Manosphere, and Misogyny: Unpacking the Digital Pipeline

"Hegemonic masculinities in the ‘Manosphere’: A thematic analysis of beliefs about men and women on The Red Pill and Incel"

About the Instructor:

Michael Lynch, LMFT has been treating individuals, couples, families and groups for over 15 years in California and Massachusetts, first with the non-profit Center for Individual and Family Counseling in North Hollywood and in private practice internship with Dr. Stephen Johnson, founder of Men’s Center Los Angeles. Mike later moved to his hometown of Lowell, Massachusetts to provide outreach therapy through South Bay Mental Health. In 2019 he opened his private practice, Men’s Center New England in Burlington, focusing on the treatment averse male population. He incorporates humor and storytelling in his therapeutic work having a background as a writer in the entertainment industry. Michael is also the President of NEAFAST.

POLICY DISCLOSURES & PARTICIPANT EXPECTATIONS

This activity has been pre-certified by the New England Association for Family and Systemic Therapy (NEAFAST) on behalf of the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Allied Mental Health & Human Services Professions for LMFT professional continuing education.
This activity is pending approval from MaMHCA for LMHC continuing education.
This activity is pending certification for continuing education for Massachusetts social workers through NASW-MA.
Please note: It is the participant’s responsibility to check with their individual state boards to verify CE requirements for their state.
Attendance Policy: All participants seeking continuing education credit must attend the entire program. NEAFAST may, in cases of medical emergencies or other extenuating circumstances, offer partial credit if 80% of the overall credit hours were completed. Please speak to the instructor/facilitator as soon as possible about this if necessary. Those attending as a free member benefit should still plan to attend all meetings to optimize learning and cohesion for all group members.
Cancellation Policy: There will be no refunds. It is the participant's responsibility to plan to attend all meetings.