The Role of Fatherhood and the Importance of Mental Health and Community Support with Adam Angel
The role of fatherhood has changed significantly since I was young and significantly even in the last five to ten years, so it would follow that men’s view of their role as father’s would also change. The experiences and views of the men in the dads groups I work with reflect this. New dads are dealing with a host of challenges that are not too dissimilar from what many moms are going through, including but not limited to:
postpartum anxiety and depression,
intrusive thoughts
feelings of disconnection from their baby
negotiation of loss and grief of previous connections and lifestyle
feelings of emotional volatility and high stress
relationship strain with co-parent and trauma from the birth experience.
Differences of course exist for fathers and though any individual's experience is unique, some shared experiences call for the need for a tailored community. What I hear most often is that Dads are looking for a community of other dads to help navigate a path that many times is not clear for them due to a lack of a similar parenting style role models in their family of origin. Some find this in a multitude of spaces, but unfortunately many men fall back on widely held beliefs of masculinity that reinforce the refrain that “I am fine, and I will manage.” Finding a space in a facilitated group, deepening relationships with friends and/or connecting to a therapeutic relationship is key to supporting oneself through a major life transition such as fatherhood.
Father’s Day this year lands on the 18th, and the day after Father's Day each year has become known as International Father’s Mental Health Day (IFMHD). IFMHD is meant to bring attention to the challenges and solutions for Father’s in supporting themselves and their families. This year, the day after Father’s Day is also Juneteenth, a holiday to honor when the last enslaved African Americans received word that they were free. This year, PSI’s Perinatal Mental Health Alliance for People of Color (PMHA-POC) is hosting a panel of experts on mental health, parent support, Black masculinities, and fatherhood on June 19th at 11am pacific/ 2pm eastern. Please join us to learn and continue the dialogue.
Adam Angel is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, father of 2 and facilitator of both new dads groups and fatherhood deeper dive therapy group. You can learn more about dads groups at www.dadswithwisdom.com and listen to the most recent podcast of Mom and Mind for a fathers day discussion with Adam.