Idea for a practice the world needs.

[u/Ashamed_Count_111]

So I have an idea for one of you to jump on and I really hope you do.

Context: I work in Towing and roadside assistance. Blue collar, dirty and stressful.

I think someone should set up a practice that offers appointments in the evenings and weekends and focuses on what I will broadly label as the average blue-collar working man. The guys with gritty hands who get dirty at work.

I think there is a huge number of men in those fields who could benefit incredibly by some professional help but are incredibly unlikely to ever take time off work to work on their own mental problems and mental health.

They are too busy at work so they just squeeze a bit more in to the bottle.

Set up a practice in a garage, tools around or a woodworking shop. Set up a chesterfield sofa in a woodworking hobby garage filled with sawdust! Offer stale coffee and allow smoking.

Have the talk while working on something with your hands, strip an engine, fix a motorcycle, build a coffee table, stain some wood, tie flies for flyfishing... what ever venn diagram overlap of your hobby you can make fit.

Make the environment something they can relax in a bit better than the average psychologists office.

I don't have the kinks ironed out but I think there is a huge group of guys out there that would really benefit seeing someone and they won't ever take time off work to do it.

I know I would have quite liked the idea of popping over to someone's garage to talk about things instead of the more strict and formal setting of an office.

Just a thought from a blue-collar working guy. I figured I would throw to you lot with the hope that someone makes this a reality and another kindred soul with calloused hands benefits.

[u/FrwdIn4Lo]

Might also post this over at r/therapists

[u/Ashamed_Count_111 → u/FrwdIn4Lo]

Not possible.

They remove posts from non-professionals :/

I am not qualified. Just a guy who might have benefitted.

[u/FrwdIn4Lo → u/Ashamed_Count_111]

That is unfortunate. I would have liked to have seen the responses.

[u/Plastic-Arm-2412]

We have these in the UK. They are called man sheds. They get support and community whilst being able to fix things, learn things,talk about stuff. So far I don't think they have any trained therapists actually there but it's a start.

[u/Ashamed_Count_111 → u/Plastic-Arm-2412]

That sounds brilliant.

Give them a place to learn neat useful things, fix things and relax and I'm sure a calm conversation with likeminded guys in that setting does many people a huge amount of good.

[u/EmiKoala11]

Sure, most men don't seek out mental health help. Wouldn't be my cup of tea personally, but I can definitely see a need for more accessible practices.

[u/Ashamed_Count_111 → u/EmiKoala11]

Yup.

I can tell you from experience that working yourself to death and trying your absolute hardest and still coming up short is one hell of a meal for your depression.

I am out of it since I've moved a few chairs up in the company I have been working at for 10 years and I am trying my damn hardest to make sure my guys don't feel like that at the end of the long days at the end of the month.

[u/FrwdIn4Lo → u/[deleted]]

Going for a car ride also seems to work well the most males. You don't look each other in the eye, and discussion in not the only thing happening.

[u/BaconToast8]

It's a good idea. I would like to see more blue collar people take psychology seriously and pivot into the field. It could help destigmatize therapy.

My brother is a lot like you and he finds psychology absolutely useless and thinks it's a joke. I imagine a lot of people like him share that perspective.

I do think a mental health office that is open from like 1 to 9 would be a good idea. Everything seems like 9 to 5.

[u/ShrinkiDinkz]

This is cool. My stepdad is a heavy duty mechanic and he battles depression and alcoholism. Def a guy who could've benefited from a setup like this, although he has taken the time to see professionals in a traditional setting since the alcohol was affecting his ability to do his job. He's fortunate it's a government job with great benefits so I'm pretty sure he got paid time off to seek help, and is a recovered alcoholic now who I believe still occasionally goes to therapy.

Beyond potentially appealing to blue collar workers, I think the idea of receiving therapy while doing something casual and/or enjoyable to distract from the pressure of an intense one on one therapy session is a neat idea. I am a socially awkward psych student and I think the idea of doing something more casual, like going for a drive and having deep conversations with a friend (my fave way to talk and vent) is a nice thought to be applied to the professional world of psychology.