Clinical Perspectives on Working with Men and Shame
Published by Routledge Taylor & Francis Group
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My new book will be an anthology, with chapters authored by myself and various colleauges from across the psychological diciplines. Release date - late summer 2026
About the book
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I once heard American Psychiatrist and renowned violence expert James Gilligan say that shame is necessary but not sufficient for violence. He was speaking in the context of men’s prisons in the United States. This stayed with me, that shame needs to be present in male violence, but it also requires an additional component to activate the shame into the act of violence. In chemistry this component is called a reagent – a substance or compound added to a system to cause a chemical reaction.
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This book builds on the idea that an additional component must be present to activate shame into causing some of the most profound challenges masculinity faces today. Shame and masculinity alone, in other words, are not the whole story. Across the chapters in Clinical Perspectives on Working with Men and Shame, experts in their respective fields show what happens when shame and masculinity collide with ‘a component’ that exists within our society, be it traditional gender expectations, the therapy room, sex, sexuality, the internet, colonialism, racialisation, or minority-group stress. They also explore how these forces shape men’s lives, relationships, and attempts to heal shame-inflicted wounds. These contributors come from across the psychological family tree: psychotherapists, psychoanalysts, physiatrists, psychosexual therapists, and clinical psychologists. With this diversity of experience comes a diversity of modalities, from psychoanalysis, pluralistic therapy, couples work, and person-centred approaches to dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), psychodynamic work, group analysis, as well as exciting new frameworks
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Endorsements for the book:
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“In bringing together psychological and psychotherapeutic perspectives on the complex, often unspoken experience of shame in men, this volume offers a deeply engaging collection of essays that break new ground in the study of shame, masculinity and mental health. Attending to the historical, cultural and relational dimensions of shame, the contributors explore how masculine identities are shaped, constrained and sometimes undone by powerful social expectations and internalised norms. Spanning a wide range of topics, including clinical practice, sexuality, mental health, suicide, race, online spaces, and trans and queer experiences, the chapters provide nuanced and often moving reflections on the formation of male subjectivity and the possibilities for therapeutic transformation. This book will become essential reading for clinicians, researchers and scholars across psychotherapy, psychology, gender studies and beyond, making a significant contribution to ongoing scholarship, reflection and debates about shame, masculinity, wellbeing and social change.”
Professor Luna Dolezal, University of Exeter
“With this book, Jeremy Sachs has brought together a timely and necessary collection of writing on men, shame and psychotherapy. Clinical Perspectives on Working with Men and Shame moves beyond familiar headlines about masculinity and male distress to ask more searching clinical questions about what shame does to men’s inner lives, relationships and capacity to seek support. Although much of the writing addresses societal and cultural dynamics, the overall focus is on what happens when men present in therapy, and there is much here that is of practical value. Reading the introduction alone gave me a ‘light bulb moment’ of insight into one of my current clients. Sachs’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of what is currently known and understood about this complex subject is reflected in the diversity and range of experience and modalities in the contributors that he has brought together. The end result challenges practitioners not simply to understand men differently, but to examine the assumptions, culture, beliefs and language we may unknowingly bring to the work. Highly recommended as a resource for therapists and anyone who works with men in a therapeutic context.”
Sally Brown MBACP, therapist and coach in private practice and consultant editor of Therapy Today
“Shame is an intricate experience. Attempting to map its contours, let alone work therapeutically with it, adds further layers of complexity. This book offers a compelling and deeply informed exploration of shame as it intersects with masculinity. Drawing on research, clinical insight, and lived experience, Jeremy Sachs traces shame across diverse contexts, identities, and manifestations. The text grounds readers in the historical foundations of shame before moving into nuanced contemporary realities: shame within trans masculinities, the expanding complexity of online spaces, and the challenge of untangling colonial, cultural, and racial influences. Written in an accessible manner, this book provides insight into both of these complex issues, shame and masculinity, but also allows us in to the therapeutic space making it an essential read for students and practitioners alike. Sachs’ expertise is enriched by contributions from leading voices on shame and masculinity, creating a multidimensional resource that is invaluable for students, practitioners, and anyone seeking a deeper understanding of these intertwined themes. It stands as an essential guide for those committed to working thoughtfully and effectively with shame.”
Dr Joseph Mooney, Lecturer in Social Work, University College Dublin, Ireland
"Clinical Perspectives on Working with Men and Shame offers a thoughtful and much-needed exploration of shame as deeply intimate, but also as socially and historically situated—woven through patriarchy, colonial legacies, racialisation, sexuality, and the rapidly evolving digital world. The collection brings together theoretical insight and practical support to enable therapists to recognise and work with both their clients’ and their own diverse experiences of shame with greater sensitivity and awareness. Its powerful message is that when shame is relationally held and brought into dialogue, it can shift from being an isolating force to a site of connection and transformation. This book is a wonderful resource not only for therapists but for anyone who seeks to develop a compassionate understanding of masculinity and emotional life."
Dr Christine Kupfer, University of Aberdeen
“This volume is a vital and vitalising invitation into a conversation often silenced by the very thing it addresses. Grounded in the clinical truth that ‘fear makes us afraid of the dark, but shame makes us afraid of the light,’ Jeremy Sachs and his contributors offer a path of true permission for men and those who support them. For men, this book offers a mirror rather than a map. It recognises the paradox that ‘real men don’t ask what a real man is’, a question so loaded with shame it feels impossible to voice. By exploring how masculinity is relationally learned, the authors help men reclaim their ‘right to feel’, that shame so often appropriates. For mental health workers, it provides a pluralistic framework for understanding male service users and domains. It moves beyond ‘shaming the shame’ to honour survival strategies, whether in the digital world, through intersectional stress, or the precariousness of traditional roles.
Ultimately, this work challenges the world to take shame seriously as a root of misogyny and violence, without turning that challenge into further humiliation. It is an essential guide for dismantling internalised binaries and moving toward more congruent, authentic ways of being that affirm men.”
Dr. Ray O Neill, Tairseach Advocacy
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An Intersectional Guide for Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse and their Allies: Masculinity Reconnected
Published by Routledge Taylor & Francis Group
About the book
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​​Few experiences carry more shame, stigma, and misunderstanding
than the life-altering trauma of sexual abuse. Men who experience
sexual abuse and rape, often find themselves marginalised and
isolated, yet there are few resources available for them or those who
support them.
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This book examines the impact of sexual abuse on different men
through an intersectional lens, exploring how their unique identities,
circumstances, and society's views affect their recovery or compound
their trauma.
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Each chapter addresses a topic chosen by hundreds of
male survivors who have attended my recovery groups. It includes
survivor testimonies, signposts to resources, and reflective activities
and coping strategies to help manage the aftermath of
sexual trauma.
With social systems, such as the criminal justice system, often failing male survivors,
the book draws on Transformative Justice principles to suggest alternative ways for men
to break cycles of trauma and move forward with their lives.
Aimed at male survivors and those who support them—counsellors, psychotherapists,
social workers, family members, and loved ones—this book offers guidance and hope
for navigating the path to healing.
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Order the book now from, Waterstones, Amazon​ and all good bookshops!
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​​​​To download the free, printable worksheets from An Intersectional Guide for Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse and their Allies: Masculinity Reconnected, click on the PDF symbol:
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Endorsements for the book:
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Packed full of insights and practical guidance and signposting, this is an engaging, accessible, and deeply compassionate text for male survivors of sexual abuse and their allies—including the professionals working with them. An essential guide for those wanting to navigate this complex, sensitive, but profoundly important field.
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Mick Cooper, author of Psychology at the Heart of Social Change (Policy Press, 2023).
Jeremy Sachs' thoughtful, caring and sensitive exploration of the complexities and nuances of the under-recognised impact of male sexual trauma and abuse will benefit men, their allies, and clinicians in navigating words and experiences hidden by years of emotional turmoil. This essential resource will assist in demystifying survivors' experiences.
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Andrew Davidson, Joint Programme Head of the Diploma in Psychosexual Therapy at Tavistock Relationships.
This book shares a rare combination of personal insight and professional experience that will benefit everyone affected by sexual violence against men and boys. This is the sort of book that you do not read just once. Instead, you can keep it with you, returning to it as different challenges emerge and subside, knowing that each time you open it you will find something to help you through.
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Tanaka Mhishi, Author of 'Sons and Others: On Loving Male Survivors’
Given that patriarchal adaptations mean men are often taught to hide, or suppress, the shame of sexual abuse, to have so gentle, yet so pointed and strong, a masculine voice speak on so sensitive a subject says a lot about the power of the prose presented in this volume. This is an emotional, sensitive tome, written from the thoughtful and somatically considered. This book lays out that road, presents pathways for practitioners to work with what is a challenging, little understood, yet hugely important experience for a good number of men. This is therefore a worthwhile, easy to access, deep dive into the experiences of male survivors of sexual abuse, which offers routes forward for practitioners working with these issues in their practices.
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Dr Dwight Turner - (He/Him) PhD, Dipl Supvn, Psychotherapist, Supervisor, and Workshop, Facilitator, UKCP Accredited
As a survivor of sexual violence who has also worked extensively with other survivors, I was delighted to see this comprehensive yet accessible guide for male survivors and their allies. Jeremy brings a wealth of knowledge and experience and communicates this, through the book, in a way that will resonate with male survivors, whatever their background or experience of sexual violence. It speaks directly to the challenges we all face as we heal and guides the reader through a range of exercises to support the process. Reading this guide took me to a warm place of comfort and reflection and I know it will be life-changing for many male survivors
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Alex Feis-Bryce – CEO Diversity Role Models
[An Intersectional Guide for Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse and Their Allies] is profoundly moving: emotionally, it draws you into the embodied narratives of male sexual abuse survivors, compelling you to immerse in their lived realities often shrouded in silence. Conceptually, it challenges the very core of persistent myths about what it means to live as, and be, a man. Therapeutically, it provokes a necessary and urgent reckoning amongst mental health professionals, urging us to question how rigid social constructions of masculinity implicitly guide therapeutic interactions with male service users, where silent struggles may be mistaken as stoic endurance.
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Dr Nini Kerr, Senior Lecturer in Counselling, Psychotherapy and Applied Social Sciences
School of Health in Social Science, The University of Edinburgh
In this book, Jeremy Sachs engages the reader with essential information, practical guidance and real-life examples, supported by reflective activities and resources. The emphasis on the impact of intersectionality provides a contemporary and much-needed lens through which to understand the unique difficulties of male survivors. But it is the way that Jeremy writes, making the reader feel understood, supported, and respected, that gives a sense that he is there with you throughout.
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Professor Kate Smith, University of Aberdeen
Jeremy has written a profoundly, deeply insightful book that is woven with a wisdom that inspires one's journey to transform trauma into triumph. It is a road map that enables one's own critical reflections to invite personal transformation which in turn has the capacity to create societal transformation.
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Arthur Lockhart, Order of Ontario, Founder of The Gatehouse, Toronto & Co-founder of the Survivors Council Canada
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