About this course

Learning Objectives

• Examine current issues that impair the healthy development of males from boyhood to manhood.
• Recognize how trauma, male coping, and masculinity narratives shape healthy relationships.
• Examine unique psychosocial environmental factors and stressors that queer male identified people face.

Learning Levels

• Beginner
• Intermediate

Course Instructor(s)

• 

  Jay Barnett

  Former professional football player, author, speaker and now Marriage & Family Therapist

  Former professional football player, author, speaker and now Marriage & Family Therapist Intern With over 10 years of highly skilled and acclaimed mentoring and success stories, public speaking and most important, real-life in the trenches business experience, Jay Barnett's views are radically different. Jay appreciates and shares with his mentees that leadership is a moment-to-moment choice and not about titles and positions.

  The author of the best-selling, Finding Our Lost King and Queens: Strategies for Empowering Our Futures Kings and Queens. Best-Selling Author of Letters to a Young Queen: Redefining Their Throne, Barnett’s poignant letters to young Queens have been shared with young girls around the world, creating conversations of healing, self-love, self-worth, confidence and personal victories. Also, Hello King a book for young men guiding them to claim their throne. And now Jay is on board to release his highly anticipated new book, Identity Crisis: A discussion around social media impact on personal identity.

  Jay has created a personal and social development program called K.I.N.G. Program for incoming freshman males at Texas Southern University.

• 

  Marlon Rollins, PhD, LMHC, LPCC

  COO, & President Renewal Health Group

  Dr. Marlon Rollins grew up in Muncie, Indiana home of the Middletown studies. At the age of 21, he was ordained as a minister (Elder) in the Church of God in Christ, Inc. He is a licensed mental health counselor and a licensed professional clinical counselor, holding a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and a PhD in Educational Psychology from Ball State University. He was a recipient of the Human Achievement Award from the Center for Leadership Development in 2014. He has been a member National Association of Crisis Organization Directors (NASCOD) as well as a member of the Steering Committee for National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. He has over 15 years’ experience in behavioral healthcare. He has worked extensively in for-profit and nonprofit sectors. He moved to California in 2016 and has been both a COO and CEO in some of the largest psychiatric and addiction hospitals in California. Dr. Rollins has been instrumental in developing suicide prevention protocols and procedures in EMR platforms as well as providing various trainings. He aided in the implementation of a SAMHSA Garrett Lee-Smith Grant with the Zero Suicide Institute in a large integrated healthcare system. He is a board member of the United Loss Survivors International. Dr. Rollins' sister who was a nurse, Amber Rose Rollins, died by suicide in 2013. He has dedicated his professional career to raise awareness about the stigma around mental health and substance use disorders. In his spare time, he enjoys trips to the oceanside, hiking, fitness, the fine arts, writing and photography.

• 

  Miguel Rivera

  Musician, Mentor, Translator, Teacher

  Miguel Rivera is a musician, mentor, teacher, and translator. He has 4 bilingual anthologies of the Maya K’iche’ poet Humberto Ak’abal published: “Poems I brought down from the mountain” U.S. 2001, “Tejiendo las huellas” Uruguay 2006, “El animalero” Guatemala 2008, “In the courtyard of the moon” Tia Chucha Press, U.S. 2021.

  Miguel is a member of the "Guild of Future Architects", an organization dedicated to collaboratively shaping a kind, just, inclusive and prosperous world, a member of the core group of teachers at "The Great Mother Conference" since 2010, and a current board member of "Shade Tree", a mentoring group in Los Ángeles.

  Miguel is also on the Board of Directors of "Wolf Connection", an organization dedicated to re-establishing neglected relationships between nature and humans. He is also a former member of the Board of Directors of "Soldier's Heart" an organization dedicated to working with Veterans (2013-2015).

• 

  John Sovec, MA, LMFT

  N/A

  John Sovec, MA, LMFT is a nationally recognized expert on the topic of creating affirmative support for the LGBTQ community and is the author of Out: A Parent’s Guide to Supporting You LGBTQIA+ Kid Through Coming Out and Beyond. He is the clinical consultant for The Life Group LA , adjunct faculty at Phillips Graduate Institute and guest lecturer at Alliant University, Cal State Fullerton, and USC School of Social Work. In 2019, John was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom to the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.

  John Sovec, is a highly sought after speaker and media expert, and provides training for corporations, community agencies, schools, non-profits, and professional consultation on LGBTQ competencies.

  John is a nationally recognized expert on creating affirmative LGBTQ support with his work featured on The Riki Lake Show, OWN, FOX, The Advocate, Bravo, LA Talk Radio, The Washington Post, and columns for Huffington Post, Medium, and Good Therapy. He is the host of OutTalk, a monthly web series for OutCare Health.

• 

  Kevin Hines

  He is one of only thirty-six (less than 1%) to survive the fall from the Golden Gate Bridge.

  Kevin is a mental health advocate and educator, global speaker, best-selling author, award-winning filmmaker and entrepreneur who reaches audiences all over the world with his story of an unlikely survival and his strong will to live. He is one of only thirty-six (less than 1%) to survive the fall from the Golden Gate Bridge.

  In 2016, Mental Health America awarded Kevin their highest honor, The Clifford W. Beers Award for his efforts to improve the lives of and attitudes toward people with mental illnesses. Previously, he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Council of Behavioral Health in partnership with Eli Lilly. Kevin has also been awarded by SAMSHA as a Voice Awards Fellow and Award Winner, an Achievement Winner by the US Veterans Affairs and received over 30 U.S. military excellence medals as a civilian.

  Kevin sat on the boards of the International Bipolar Foundation (IBPF), the Bridge Rail Foundation (BRF) and the Mental Health Association of San Francisco (MHASF) and on the Survivors Committee of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. 

  Previously, he was a board member of the Northern California Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and was a two-term member of San Francisco’s Mental Health Board. He has spoken in congressional hearings alongside Patrick Kennedy in support of The Mental Health Parity Bill. He continues his policy work as an Ambassador to the National Council for Behavioral Health.

  In the summer of 2013, Kevin released his bestselling memoir titled Cracked Not Broken, Surviving and Thriving After A Suicide Attempt. He is currently producing a documentary entitled Suicide: The Ripple Effect. 

  Kevin’s will to live and stay mentally well has inspired people worldwide. His compelling story has touched diverse, global audiences within colleges and universities, high schools, corporations, clergy, military, clinicians, health and medical communities, law enforcement organizations, and various industries. Thousands have communicated to Hines that his story helped save their lives. He has reached millions with his story.

  His story was featured in the 2006 film The Bridge by the film director and producer Eric Steel. 

  Kevin believes in the power of the human spirit and in the fact that you can find the ability to live mentally well. His mantra: “Life is a gift, that is why they call it the present. Cherish it always.”

Disclosure

References

• Clark, L. H., Hudson, J. L., Rapee, R. M., & Grasby, K. L. (2020). Investigating the impact of masculinity on the relationship between anxiety specific mental health literacy and mental health help-seeking in adolescent males. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 76, 102292.
• Hammack P. L., Hughes S. D., Atwood J. M., Cohen E. M., Clark R. C. (2021). Gender and sexual identity in adolescence: A mixed-methods study of labeling in diverse community settings. Journal of Adolescent Research.
• Mahalik, J. R., & Di Bianca, M. (2021). Help-seeking for depression as a stigmatized threat to masculinity. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 52(2), 146–155. https://doi.org/10.1037/pro0000365
• McLean K. C., Boggs S., Haraldsson K., Lowe A., Fordham C., Byers S., Syed M. (2020). Personal identity development in cultural context: The socialization of master narratives about the gendered life course. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 44(2), 116–126.
• Newman, T. J., McCray, K., Lower‐Hoppe, L. M., Rockhill, C., Ingram, D., Ohanasian, J., & Simmons‐Horton, S. (2022). Healthy masculinity construction: The influence of race, faith and athletics. Children & Society.
• Ramaeker, J., & Petrie, T. A. (2019). “Man up!”: Exploring intersections of sport participation, masculinity, psychological distress, and help-seeking attitudes and intentions. Psychology of Men & Masculinities, 20(4), 515–527. https://doi.org/10.1037/men0000198