Improving Psychotherapeutic Treatment of Male Survivors: A Gender-Cultural Competence Approach

Background. Male sexual victimization (MSV) is common and exponentially increases risk for negative mental health outcomes, especially suicidal ideation and attempts. Masculine gender norms exacerbate these outcomes and may be reinforced in psychotherapeutic treatment. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to increase the gender-cultural competence (GCC) of feminist-multicultural psychotherapists in a non-profit mental health agency to facilitate healing for male survivors. Methods. Using a mixed methods pre-/post-intervention design, providers' GCC was measured before and after a 60-minute training workshop about male gender role socialization and MSV. Changes in GCC were evaluated via Wilcoxon signed ranks. Open-ended questions were coded and summarized via conventional content analysis. Results. Providers' (N= 8) GCC increased significantly (z= -2.52, p< .012) from pre- to post-test. Greater increases were seen in providers' cultural knowledge (z= -2.53, p< .012), cultural skills (z= -2.52, p< .012), and cultural experience (z= -2.46, p< .014) than in cultural humility (z= -.71, p< .480) and cultural awareness (z= -1.53, p< .127). Providers also reported improved comfort working with male clients (z= -2.21, p< .027) and perceptions that working with male clients increases their respect for gender differences (z= -2.46, p< .014). Conclusions. These providers were eager to meet the treatment needs of males and male survivors but lacked the knowledge and resources to do so. The introduction of organized, relevant, and readily available evidence-based resources overcame a significant barrier to implementing culturally competent treatment.