The better side of MKP is that despite the dangerous edge it is one of the only places I have found men’s emotional lives taken seriously. I appreciated the diversity, and there was support too. But I don’t think this is enough. MKP most likely has chosen not to call itself “therapy” for legal liability reasons. But even if you call it “healing” or “growth” work then some like professional suppervision is much needed. In the very least a method of discerning how it is effecting men, or if men are overly retraumatized by the work.

Unfortunately there seems to be in MKP a fear of loosing men. If MKP let go a bit and just simple had the philosophy that we are here to help men find the help or path they need, they would do much better. As it is now I think MKP still causes to much harm to recommend to anyone.

People face insecurity and confront fear in forums everyday that are not billed as theraputic. I took a Toastmasters course years ago to become a better public speaker. I was able to face that deep fear and insecurity and overcome it throught their program. Is Toastmasters therapy? For me it was therapeudic similar to how my Warrior Weekend.

I think the misconception people may have about what happens on the Warior Wekend is that the staff is there to push participants to hit the “deep emotional homerun.” At least when I was active, men were supported facing insecurities/fears at whatever level they chose to go.

Do you feel threatened by groups (like NW) that offer non traditional avenues to self discovery and healing?

. . . Clearly, the Mankind Project does not want to give any impression that what they do in the NWTA is therapy. This is understandable since staff would need to demonstrate training and credentials to conduct group therapy. The NWTA claims to address fears and wounds from the past and help a person become a better person. I recognize that therapy is hard to define but resolving unwanted states and trauma is generally considered an aspect of treatment. . .

It seems many ex-gay ministries make similar arguments about how they are offering religious and pastoral advice — not therapy. And yet, so much of the ex-gay movement is about advocating treatments that delve into their participants’ supposed “roots of homosexuality” such as abuse, “broken homes”, “sexual brokenness”, masculine/feminine insecurities, addictions, and similar active attempts to address so-called sexual dysfunction and trauma. The Exodus-affiliated ministry I participated in even offered individual counseling at “suggested” hourly rates by unlicensed self-proclaimed experts.

At least MKP admits that their group is not for everyone, whereas ex-gay ministries’ evangelical fundamentalism prevents them from turning people away.

Shouldn’t we be similarly challenging Exodus and other ex-gay ministries about the therapy they provide by their unlicensed and uncredentialed de facto counselors?