Therapy for men
Helping you cultivate emotional intelligence and personal growth.
This Isn't Your Typical Men's Therapy in West Hollywood, CA and Online for California Residents
You could use someone to help you manage the difficult emotions that stand in your way. It’s good to have someone on your side to help you understand those obstacles, move through them, and feel like yourself again.
That’s where therapy for men comes in.
Talk therapy will feel a lot like a conversation with a trusted friend.
From a safe position of observation, we’ll peer into what’s keeping you from what you want in life, including intimacy.
I’ll help you recognize and work through the difficult emotions. Conducting couples therapy and therapy for men online and in West Hollywood, CA is my specialty, and I enjoy regularly posting helpful content centered around men's mental health to my mental health blog.
And as you carry these skills outside of session, you’ll emerge with renewed strength and confidence for better connections in your relationships and efficiency at work.
You probably haven't told anyone how bad it's actually gotten.
Not your partner. Not your friends. Maybe not even yourself, not fully.
You keep it moving because men don't typically talk about depression. You stay in your head. You handle it. Until the thing you've been outrunning catches up, and it shows up as a blown-up relationship, a body that won't stop tensing, or a short fuse costing you the people you actually care about.
This isn’t you being weak. This is how men who are still carrying trauma cope with stress.
I teach men effective coping strategies to positively react to adverse situations through understanding what the rage and trauma is actually covering up, and addressing those issues head on to provide men with strength and courage to overcome life's challenges.
The American Psychological Association has documented that men are significantly less likely than women to seek mental health care, and far more likely to wait until functioning is seriously impaired before reaching out. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that men die by suicide nearly four times more often than women, not because men suffer more, but because they ask for help less, and later.
You don't have to keep doing it alone.
What brings men here
Men come to this practice for a wide range of reasons. Here are the most common. If yours isn't listed, reach out, as this list isn't exhaustive.
Anxiety and Chronic Stress
You're running at full capacity and still feel behind. High-functioning anxiety in men is one of the most common presenting issues in this office, and one of the least talked about. From the outside it looks like productivity. From the inside it feels like a motor that never shuts off: racing thoughts, a tight chest, waking up already tense, catastrophizing outcomes before they've happened.The American Psychological Association's clinical practice guidelines support EMDR therapy as among the most effective interventions for anxiety and trauma. Work here starts by understanding how your nervous system learned to respond this way, and building the skills to interrupt it. If you've been wondering whether change is actually possible, the answer is yes.
Depression in men rarely looks like the version in pharmaceutical ads. It looks like irritability. Numbness. Withdrawing from people you love. Working harder, drinking more, checking out of your own life while nobody around you knows anything is wrong.If you've never connected your own behavior to depression, that's exactly the problem. Most men haven't, because the signs don't match what they were told to look for. The NIMH estimates millions of men go undiagnosed every year for this reason. Treatment works, and building the habits that make it stick is part of the work done here.
Relationship and Marriage Struggles
Communication has broken down. You feel distant, misunderstood, or like nothing you do is ever enough. Maybe trust has been damaged and you don't know how to come back from it. Meaningful repair often happens in individual and lgbtq+ therapy even when your partner isn't in the room, because the patterns driving the problem usually started long before this relationship.When you're both ready to work on it together, couples therapy is a great option.
Anger and Reactivity
You snap at people you love. You feel the reaction building and can't stop it. Afterward the shame compounds everything. Anger at this level is almost never the root issue. It's the surface expression of something underneath. We will work to find what that is, and buildpractical skills to interrupt the cycle before it keeps doing damage.
Identity, Purpose, and Midlife Transitions
You've hit the goals: the career, the family, the house. And it still doesn't feel like enough. Or you're navigating divorce, loss, becoming a father, or a milestone birthday, and you don't have the language for what you're experiencing.These are real transitions that deserve real attention. This is some of the most important and underserved work men do in therapy, and it rarely gets named properly anywhere else.
Sexual Health and Performance Concerns
Performance anxiety, low desire, shame around sex, pornography use that has gotten out of hand. These are common, treatable, and badly underserved in men's healthcare. We will address them here, directly and without judgment. Most men who bring these concerns into the room wish they had done it years earlier.
Trauma and PTSD
Whether it's childhood trauma, an accident, assault, or loss, trauma rewires the nervous system and shows up in ways that don't always look like "trauma." Trauma in men may surface as hypervigilance, emotional flatness, avoidance, rage, or disconnection. EMDR therapy is one of the most validated trauma treatments available, with strong endorsement from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD. Learn more about how EMDR works for men.
Grief and Loss
Men are expected to hold it together after a loss. That expectation doesn't resolve grief. It delays it, and it surfaces later in ways that are harder to trace. Here, grief finally gets the room it needs.
Substance Use and Behavioral Patterns
Drinking, overwork, gambling, compulsive scrolling. When a coping mechanism has become a problem with real consequences, there is support here at every stage, from "I'm starting to wonder if this is an issue" to active recovery.
Stress, including the kind that comes with living in LA
Los Angeles moves fast and asks a lot. If you've been white-knuckling stress as a man in this city, or find that social situations drain you in ways you can't explain, that's worth paying attention to. The weight men carry rarely announces itself. It compounds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I actually need therapy?
If something has been getting worse, not better, for more than a few months, and your usual adjustments aren't working, it is worth a conversation. You don't need to be in crisis to start. Most men who come in say they wish they had done it sooner.
Fit matters more than most people realize. The free consultation exists exactly for this purpose: to figure out together whether this is the right match before committing to anything.
How long does therapy take?
Focused work on a specific issue typically takes 8 to 16 sessions. Deeper work on long-standing patterns takes longer. You'll have a clear sense of the timeline after the first few sessions.
Is everything confidential?
Yes. The only exceptions are the standard legal ones that every California therapist operates under.
Are sessions in-person or virtual?
Both. In-person sessions are available at the West Hollywood office. Virtual sessions are available to anyone in California via secure, HIPAA-compliant telehealth. Research consistently shows that telehealth therapy is equally effective to in-person care for most concerns. Contact me to get get started.
Do you take insurance?
For clients with a PPO plan, insurance claims are submitted on your behalf for out-of-network benefits. Sessions may also be submitted to a health savings account (HSA). Because every plan is different, a benefits verification call can be done together to estimate your likely reimbursement before you start.
I've never done therapy before. What do I do?
Most of the men here hadn't either before they started. There's nothing to prepare. Show up, we talk, and together we figure out what the work looks like for you.
The Hardest Part Is Booking the First Session
Everything after that gets easier. Schedule a free 15-minute consultation for a no-pressure conversation about what you're dealing with. I’ll do my best to help you decide if this is the right fit.
Related reading
Testimonials
Gavin is a truly gifted clinician, for both individuals and couples. His attachment-focused perspective allows him to attune to each client’s unique needs. I highly recommend his therapeutic approach.
Gavin gets it. He’s an attuned listener and authentic in his approach. It’s rare to find a therapist so genuinely at ease with any topic at any time.
Gavin is a therapist whose exceptional compassion heals emotional wounds. Whether starting a new therapeutic journey or in a lifelong struggle, Gavin’s serene and compassionate presence will empower and uplift you on your path of self-discovery.
Gavin is a trustworthy guide as you explore issues of identity and relationships- he is consistent, understanding, and well-researched.
Gavin is a fantastic therapist with a strong ability to connect with his clients while also having a keen clinical mind. I never hesitate to refer to him.
Gavin is so good at what he does! He has immense knowledge, expertise, and training that allows him to provide confident and capable care for each of his clients. He prioritizes a good fit with clients which assists him in providing top care.
Gavin is an exceptional therapist. He’s thoughtful, kind, and perceptive. He offers a wide range of skills; practical tools balanced with a depth of understanding and compassion. I’d highly recommend him.
Gavin’s warmth and calming presence shines through as a therapist. He creates a holding environment for clients to release their struggles and anxieties as he compassionately and skillfully collaborates with them to work towards their treatment goals.
Gavin has a very calming and comforting presence. He is very approachable and has great insight.
Gavin’s warm and caring personality will make you feel at ease the moment you walk through the door. His authenticity brings a sense of deep empowerment and support as he so naturally creates space for you to feel heard and valued.
If you’re looking for counseling Gavin is the right choice. I highly recommend him and refer to him often. He has great training and intuition that will help you overcome the blocks in your life.
If you’re looking for a thoughtful and skilled therapist with a highly attuned and grounding presence, you’re in the right place! I highly recommend Gavin’s services.
Gavin is a wonderful human being who has been a gift to both me as a colleague and his larger community of therapists. My experience spending time with him is often made up of deep warmth and care accented by moments of laughter and joy.
I had the opportunity to go to grad school with Gavin and found him to have one of the voices I most wanted to hear. He has an ability to get to the heart of the matter quickly. And, his intelligence and wisdom is only out-matched by his warmth.
Gavin creates a safe space for clients to explore their experiences and move toward growth. Gavin is both compassionate and understanding, guiding you toward insight that will lead to improved relationships and feeling more connected to yourself.
Gavin is a compassionate and experienced therapist! I would recommend him to people who want to improve their relationship and grow in their ability to communicate. He does a great job with individuals struggling with stress, anxiety and identity.
Gavin genuinely cares for each and every one of his clients and does amazing couple’s work no matter what you need help with in your relationship with your significant other and loved ones!
Gavin is skilled at helping men identify and work through difficulties with anxiety. I trust him as a referral source and can speak to my personal experience of Gavin as a warm, insightful and authentic person, all traits that are crucial in a therapist.
Gavin is gifted in connecting deeply while maintaining a strong understanding of how to help with mental health needs. This pairing offers reassurance for any client fortunate enough to work with him on the levels of emotion, competence, and safety.
It’s time to reclaim your life
There’s a big, beautiful world out there. You deserve to experience all it has to offer.
Let’s rediscover your strength.