![A workshop bench beside an open door, with a chair pulled up to it and daylight coming in](https://viacara.com/img/content/men-index-feature-light.webp)

# Therapy for Men Who Would Rather Not

Men are a third of talking therapy referrals, and the gap in need is nowhere near that wide. These pages are for the man putting it off.

Most men do not avoid help because they think nothing is wrong. They avoid the part where you choose a stranger and start talking.

These pages are for the man who has been meaning to sort it out for a while. They carry the real numbers rather than a comfortable version of them.

## Half the *referrals*

The [NHS Talking Therapies annual report](https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-talking-therapies-for-anxiety-and-depression-annual-reports/2023-24) counted almost 600k men referred in 2023-24. That is half as many as women.

The [BABCP](https://babcp.com/mens-access-to-talking-therapies/) reads that as 33% of referrals, against 66% for women.

Need does not explain that. In England, [17% of men](https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/adult-psychiatric-morbidity-survey/survey-of-mental-health-and-wellbeing-england-2023-24/common-mental-health-conditions) aged 16-64 have a common mental health condition. For women the figure is 28%.

The gap in need is far narrower than the gap in who asks for help.

## The problem is the front door

The [BABCP](https://babcp.com/mens-access-to-talking-therapies/) makes a useful point about what happens next. Once men do start treatment, their outcomes are comparable to women's.

That points at the door rather than at the treatment.

Being asked to read forty profiles and pick one is a filtering job. Most people who need support are in no state to do it, and many men will close the tab instead.

## What this *is*

We are a connecting service, not a clinical one. We do not assess anyone and we do not diagnose anyone.

You have one short private conversation about what has been going on. We come back with a small number of professionals who work with it.

You do not need a diagnosis. You do not need the right words for it either.

## Where to *start*

If you have been telling yourself it is not bad enough yet, start with [waiting until it gets serious](https://viacara.com/support/men/waiting-until-crisis/).

![A heavily loaded wheelbarrow left standing on a garden path, with a chair a few steps further on](https://viacara.com/img/content/men-waiting-feature-light.webp)

## [Waiting Until It Gets Serious](https://viacara.com/support/men/waiting-until-crisis/)

Men often hold on until something breaks. The figures on midlife men are hard reading, and there is a lot of room before that point.

Thanks for your interest. We're not taking on new clients at the moment.

## Ready to *start*, without the right words?

We ask what matters to you, then find professionals who fit.

Leave your email and we'll let you know as soon as we're ready for you.

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