Assessing and Treating Emotionally Inexpressive Men

What if your new client, a man in his early 40s, cannot answer basic questions in your initial assessment interview? You were aware that many men do not like to talk about their feelings, but this client seems kind of frozen. You think he might be alexithymic, but you do not know how to assess for that, or even more importantly, how to treat it. Assessing and Treating Emotionally Inexpressive Men has answers. Chapters explain why some men are emotionally inexpressive because of their childhood socialization, and the book provides both scales for assessing alexithymia in men and treatment manuals for helping these men became more emotionally self-aware in individual and group therapy. The book also offers case studies that explains how to integrate the authors’ approach with any model of psychotherapy. Clinicians will come away from this book with a clear sense for how to treat alexithymia in the early sessions of psychotherapy and thereby improve treatment uptake and outcomes.

Ronald F. Levant, EdD, ABPP, is professor emeritus of psychology at The University of Akron.

Shana Pryor, PhD, is a full-time clinician serving active-duty service members.