Marriage Breakup and Separation
If you are dealing with the difficult process of marriage break up and separation you are probably finding the going very tough and odds are that you don't have many people to talk to about your feelings. Many men find it difficult to confide in others - partly because men are often brought up believing they must always appear strong, and that asking for help is a sign of inadequacy. Another reason is that although a man may have friends with whom he works, socialises or plays sport, they're not always the kind of relationships in which he feels he can confide his deepest feelings.
The fact that men often don't have enough emotional support is a major reason why, when marriages break up, many men develop emotional problems which can eventually affect their health. Each year in Australia there are around 52,000 divorces and 70,000 separations - a figure which includes couples living in long term de facto relationships. According to Geoff Price, of the NSW Men's Health and Wellbeing Association, an organisation which aims to improve the health and wellbeing of men and boys in the community, this adds up to large numbers of men who aren't coping with the aftermath of separation. According to research by the Family Court of Australia, many men are still struggling with problems related to separation ten years after the event.
Where can you go for help?
If you are dealing with a marriage break up or separation and would like some counselling support then arrange to see a social worker at one of our Community Health Centres. Social Workers provide advice and counselling for individuals and families who are experiencing problems dealing with and adjusting to significant life issues, events and changes, such as relationship breakdown and family conflict and deaths. Contact them through your nearest Community Health Centre, during business hours, Monday to Friday. No referral is required. Services are free.
Lismore Mens Resource Centre 66221441
Mensline Telephone Counselling 7pm -11pm every night on 6622 2240
Men'sline is a free service with complete confidentiality on first name basis only. Callers are not allowed to identify themseleves except for first names. Men'sline is not, and doesn't try to be, another welfare organisation, rather they operate on a personal level. With many of their counsellors at one time or another having been a caller to Men'sline and wanting to put something back.