Wednesday, 5/6/26 - 12:00-1:00pm CT via Zoom
Presenter: Dr. Adam McCormick, MSW, PhD
1 CEU - Clinical or Cultural Responsiveness
This interactive workshop explores how trauma and harmful masculine norms intersect to shape the emotional lives of boys and young men. Using Gabor Maté’s framework of the traumatic tension between attachment and authenticity, participants will examine how boys often sacrifice emotional truth in order to maintain "belonging"—leading to patterns of suppression, aggression, or disconnection. Through case examples, discussion, and reflective activities, social workers will gain practical, ethical strategies to engage male-identified clients in healing-centered, gender-responsive ways that promote resilience, emotional literacy, and accountability. This session supports trauma-informed, relationally attuned practice across diverse clinical and community settings.
Learning Objectives:
1. Explain how masculinity is constructed and developed in the lives of boys and young men.
2. Analyze the impact of masculinity socialization on issues such as trauma, intimate partner violence, substance use, and help-seeking behaviors.
3. Identify core patterns of power and control rooted in masculine socialization and apply strategies to address these dynamics ethically in clinical and community settings.