Men in support groups: why they keep coming back

This was an exploratory study which used Flanagan's critical incident technique to discover the needs being met for men by involvement in men's support groups. The ten participants, representing four different groups, were enlisted by personal contact and by word of mouth referrals. All had participated in a men's group for at least two years at the time of the interviews. Analysis of the taped interviews resulted in a list of needs which were important to the men in these groups. Upon comparison to the theoretical expectations, it was found that having fun, accomplishing something, and experiencing an appropriate balance of supportive and challenging processes had not been previously described as important aspects of group process. Another surprising finding was how important it was to men to establish friendships through their group involvement. These results may assist those planning groups and courses to structure them in ways that are more appealing to, and more satisfying for, male participants.Education, Faculty ofEducational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department ofGraduat