Over the years, Rick and colleagues have delivered workshops for both professional service providers as well as to the general public on a variety of themes related to men and their families. Workshops are designed to be two hours in length, and can be adapted for the needs of both the organizers and the intended audience. All workshops can be delivered in person or virtually.
FOR SERVICE PROVIDERS:
WP1: Men’s Trauma, Men’s Recovery
An Overview for Service Providers Regarding the Journey from Trauma to Recovery
An overview of male sexual trauma for service providers. This workshop examines the tension between dominant masculine norms and lived experiences of trauma, and how this collision shapes disclosure, coping, and recovery. Participants will gain practical guidance for male-centred, trauma-informed engagement. Content includes conceptual frameworks on masculinity, patterns of trauma expression in men, brief video testimonies, and an optional screening of The Bristlecone Project documentary. Suitable for a wide range of service providers, from first responders to mental health professionals.
WP2: The Wobble
Understanding the Expression of Post-Traumatic Stress in Men’s Lives
Effective intervention requires a clear understanding of how trauma presents in men’s lives. Drawing on Judith Herman’s dialectic of trauma, this workshop explores male-specific expressions of hyperarousal, intrusion, constriction, and what we refer to as “The Wobble.” Participants will learn how this model functions as a practical map for assessment, psychoeducation, and recovery-oriented work. This framework is consistently cited by male clients as a key insight supporting change.
WP3: Cultural Delusions about Male Sexual Victimization
Challenging Myths That Silence Men and Obstruct Healing
Persistent myths about male sexual victimization continue to silence men and impede recovery. This workshop examines common cultural untruths, their historical and social origins, and the facts they obscure. Particular attention is paid to how these beliefs are internalized by survivors themselves. Participants will explore strategies for challenging these narratives in clinical and community settings to support disclosure, validation, and healing.
WP4: Ego States 101
A Practical Map for Personal Change, Including Trauma Work
It is critical for survivors to have a “map” of their psychology to allow themselves to have both understanding of their inner turmoil; let alone the process of change. Furthermore, this “map” needs to be straightforward, logical and if need be, be able to be communicated to others in the survivor’s life.
Join us for this presentation of the original “parts” therapy: Ego State Theory (also known as transactional analysis), how it can be understood in both a functional and structural framework, and how it can be critical to sort through what it takes to find recovery and healing.
WP5: The Drama Triangle
Transforming Dysfunctional & Trauma-Based Patterns
Building on Stephen Karpman’s Drama Triangle, this workshop translates Ego State concepts into real-world application. Participants will examine default roles, emotional dynamics, and relational patterns common in trauma-affected individuals and systems. Emphasis is placed on recognizing these patterns and supporting clients to exit the Triangle toward healthier, more autonomous ways of living.
WP6: Shame
How the “Master Emotion” of Trauma Explains Pretty Much Everything
Shame is often the central organizing emotion of traumatic experience. This workshop differentiates shame from guilt, traces its developmental origins, and examines how it shapes cognition, affect, behaviour, and relationships. Participants will gain practical insights into identifying shame-based dynamics and supporting clients through shame-sensitive recovery processes.
WP7: Hurt People (Sometimes) Hurt People
Exploring How Rage & Violence Can be Understood from a Trauma Lens
This workshop re-examines men’s anger, rage, and violence through the lens of trauma and adverse childhood experiences. While conventional explanatory models are reviewed, their limitations are highlighted. A psychodynamic, trauma-informed perspective is presented, emphasizing how unresolved victimization informs present-day behaviour and how intervention can address root causes rather than symptoms alone.
WP8: Mapping the Past to the Present
Distinguishing Coping Mechanisms and Strategies in the Lives of Survivors
How clients understand their past significantly shapes their capacity for change. This interactive workshop distinguishes between trauma-driven coping mechanisms and consciously chosen strategies for survival, symptom management and personal growth. Participants will explore how bringing curiosity, awareness and compassion to past adaptations supports meaning-making, accountability, and therapeutic progress.
WP9: The Three Phases of Trauma Recovery
Why the Triphasic Model of Trauma Recovery is Integral to Recovery
Widely regarded as a gold standard, the triphasic model of trauma recovery provides a clear roadmap for healing. This workshop explores the conceptual foundations of the model and its application in individual, group, and program design contexts. Each phase is examined in terms of focus, objectives, pacing, and outcomes, supporting integration, skill development, and sustained recovery.
WP10: The Working Zone
Where Healing Happens – A Guide for both Therapists and Clients
Trauma theory explains impact; recovery requires process. This workshop introduces the concept of the Working Zone—a collaborative, “just right” space where healing can occur. Participants will explore the respective roles of helper and client in establishing safety, pacing, and agency, and how this meta-strategy guides effective trauma work.
WP11: Internal & External Strengths
Resourcing the Survivor to Do the Work Necessary for Change
Clients often present for therapy depleted and discouraged. This workshop focuses on the critical role of resourcing—both internal and external—in preparing clients for the work of recovery. Drawing on two strengths-based therapeutic traditions, participants will learn experiential techniques to enhance capacity, resilience and engagement.
WP12: The Power of Metaphor in Men’s healing
How Survivors Can Find Meaning and Purpose in their Pain
Symptom reduction alone rarely captures the full scope of recovery. This workshop explores how metaphor expands clients’ ability to envision meaningful change. Drawing on literature, clinical imagery, and the work of Viktor Frankl, participants will examine how metaphor supports identity reconstruction, purpose and long-term healing.
WP13: The Big Impossible
Unpacking the Male Code to Allow for Transformational Change
This workshop examines the restrictive and often unattainable standards of the Male Code and their impact on men’s mental health. Recognizing masculinity as a diverse spectrum, participants will explore how rigid gender expectations limit vulnerability, help-seeking, and relational health, and how reframing masculinity can support authenticity, resilience, and well-being.
WP14: Gender Role Strain and the Framework of Shame
The Impact & Consequences of Conventional Masculinity in the Lives of Men
Gender role strain highlights the psychological cost of conforming to dominant masculine norms. This workshop examines how chronic strain contributes to shame, failure narratives, and maladaptive coping. Participants will explore assessment and intervention strategies that address the often-unspoken emotional burdens associated with masculinity.
WP15: Emotional Integrity
Beyond Emotional Intelligence there is a Way to Live the Good Life
Emotional Integrity moves beyond emotional intelligence as a skill set to a lived ethical stance. This workshop explores emotional integrity as a way of relating to oneself and others with authenticity, dignity, and accountability. Participants will consider how this framework informs clinical practice and personal sustainability in helping roles.
FOR the General Public:
WG1: All Fathers Are Sons
Exploring the Legacy of Our Fathers
This workshop explores how men’s relationships with their own fathers shape identity, parenting, and emotional legacy. Integrating concepts of historical integrity, emotional integrity, and legacy, participants are invited to reflect on personal narratives and meaning-making. Drawing on male-centred psychology and selected literary works, the workshop emphasizes vulnerability as strength and the possibility of transcending one’s past to parent with intention and care.
WG2: The Inner Compass
Strengths-Based Tools for Navigating Change
When facing change, it is easy to focus on problems, deficits, or what feels broken. While this perspective can be useful, it often overlooks the strengths and resources people already possess. This workshop introduces a strengths-based approach that emphasizes self-determination, resilience, and personal capacity.
Participants will be introduced to key ideas from positive psychology and guided through two practical, strengths-based exercises designed to support clarity, confidence, and adaptive change. This reflective and accessible session invites participants to reconnect with their internal resources and may reveal strengths they did not know they had.
WG3: Men’s Trauma, Men’s Recovery
A Workshop on Healing and Hope
Many men live with the long-term effects of childhood sexual or physical abuse, often experiencing a painful tension between masculine expectations and lived trauma. This conflict can create powerful barriers to disclosure, support, and healing.
This workshop offers a paced, sensitive, and male-centred exploration of recovery. Participants will learn how masculinity shapes men’s trauma responses and how gender-informed understanding can foster healing and hope. Open to people of all genders, this session welcomes men with lived experience, loved ones, and professionals seeking deeper understanding.
WG4: Emotional Integrity
Putting Emotional Intelligence into Action
Emotional intelligence is often discussed as a set of skills; emotional integrity brings those skills into daily life. This workshop explores how men can apply emotional awareness, authenticity, and accountability in their relationships, work, and personal lives.
Participants will examine common myths about masculinity and emotion, explore practical tools for emotional awareness and expression, and consider how emotional integrity provides a blueprint for building strong, respectful relationships. Through discussion and real-life examples, this session offers an empowering and accessible path toward healthier emotional engagement.
WG5: Unpacking Men’s Anger
Understanding Its Roots
Anger is a powerful and often misunderstood emotion, particularly in men. This workshop explores anger through multiple lenses, including social conditioning, trauma-related emotional dysregulation, skill development, and learned patterns of expression.
Participants will examine how anger can escalate through a ‘chaining effect’—from irritation to rage and, at times, to violence—and how awareness can interrupt this process. The workshop also explores the impact of anger on relationships, work, and well-being, offering practical strategies for communication, regulation, and conflict resolution. This session provides a respectful, non-shaming space for insight, growth, and emotional resilience.
Not seeing what you are interested in? We would be happy to work with you about your workshop and webinar needs, and custom-design a plan that is right for you and your organization.
