The Modern Man Cohort
Most men didn't grow up with a model for what real conversation between men looks like. We've got drinks and we've got games and we've got work — and not much else. The Modern Man Group exists for the in-between.
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It's eight weeks. Eight to ten men. Closed group, meaning the same men start and finish together — no drop-ins, no drop-outs partway through. That structure matters more than anything. Trust between men takes a few weeks to build, and once it's built, what happens in the room is something most of us have never actually experienced.
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Groups meet in-person, man-to-man.
Who shows up
The men in this group are usually somewhere in this range:
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New to therapy, or new to talking about anything beyond surface
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Quietly isolated — plenty of acquaintances, fewer real friendships
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Mid-career or mid-life, sensing the old playbook isn't quite working
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Recovering from a recent thing — a divorce, a job change, a loss, a wake-up call
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Curious about other men's lives, including the parts other men don't usually talk about
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Tired of doing it alone
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You don't need to have something specific you're working on. You don't need to have done therapy before. You don't need to be a "talker." Some of the most powerful members of any group I've run started by saying "I have no idea what I'm doing here."
What we actually talk about
I don't run this group from a script, but here's an honest summary of the territory:
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What it actually means to be a man right now — and which inherited rules are still serving us and which ones aren't. The kind of quiet, low-grade depression most men don't even call depression. Friendship and isolation, including the very specific way most adult men lose friends. The state of our relationships — including the parts of them that don't fit a clean category. Money, and the silence men keep about it. Substance use, sobriety, and the gray areas in between. The state of our bodies as we age. And eventually — once trust is there — the personal stuff each of us walked in carrying.
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Some of this we plan. Most of it comes out of the room.
How I actually work
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How the group actually works
Eight to ten men, same group from session one to session eight. No drop-ins. This is the single most important structural choice — trust between men doesn't build in revolving-door rooms. Other than that, each group sets its own rules.
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Conversation, not a workshop
I don't lecture. I'll introduce a topic or a frame, and then the room is the room. The real learning happens in what other men say — and in what you find yourself saying when you didn't know you were going to.
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Direct and honest
I'll push the room — asking the questions other men won't, pushing back when someone's caught in a loop, and helping the group get comfortable enough to talk about the taboo stuff: money, sex, depression, addiction, regret. Polite is welcome. Performing isn't.
What good participation actually looks like
Friendships that survive the program
It's common for guys in the group to keep meeting up after the eight weeks end. That's not a bug–it's the point.
Real conversations outside the room
A lot of what happens here transfers — guys having harder, better conversations with their partners, brothers, sons, and the friends they already had.
A different relationship with masculinity
Frequently Asked Questions
The Modern Man Cohort is for men who are tired of doing everything alone but are not looking for a cheesy support circle or a lecture on masculinity.
Most men who join are dealing with some mix of isolation, relationship stress, career pressure, divorce, grief, aging, fatherhood, depression, sobriety, money stress, or the feeling that the old playbook is not working anymore.
No. Many men who join are new to therapy or new to talking about anything beyond the surface.
You do not need to be a “talker.” You do not need a perfect issue to work on. Some men start with, “I have no idea what I’m doing here.” That is enough to begin.
The group runs as an 8-week closed cohort with 8 to 10 men. The same men start and finish together, with no drop-ins partway through. That structure matters. Trust between men takes time, and the group only works when people are showing up with the same room, the same faces, and the same commitment.
The group may cover relationships, friendship, isolation, money, work, fatherhood, divorce, depression, substance use, sex, regret, masculinity, aging, and the personal things men usually keep to themselves. Some topics are planned. Most of the real work comes from what actually shows up in the room.
Not exactly. The Modern Man Cohort is more of a structured therapy group than a workshop. James may introduce a topic or frame, but the group is built around honest conversation, not lectures, worksheets, or generic advice. The point is not to perform vulnerability. The point is to have real conversations with other men and see what happens when you stop managing everything alone.
That is normal. Most men are not used to sitting in a room with other men and talking honestly.
You will not be forced to spill everything on day one. The group is designed to build trust over time. Listening is part of the work too, especially at the beginning.
Yes. Confidentiality is a core part of the group.
For the room to work, men need to know that what they share is treated with respect and not carried outside the group. James will explain expectations around privacy, respect, and group boundaries before the cohort begins.
Individual therapy gives you private one-on-one space to focus on your specific life and patterns.
Men’s group therapy lets you work in real time with other men. You hear what other men are carrying, notice what comes up in you, and practice having the kind of honest conversations many men never learned how to have.
Group sessions are listed at $60 per session. If cost is a concern, ask about current availability and whether any limited sliding scale options are open.
The group runs in cohorts, so it is also a good idea to ask about the next start date before planning around it.
Email info@modmantherapy.com or reach out through the website to ask about the next cohort.
You will start with a free 15-minute call to see if the group is a fit for you and whether you are a fit for the group. The room only works when the mix is right, so the consultation matters.
How to actually join
The group runs in cohorts, so timing matters. Email me at info@modmantherapy.com to ask about the next start date and whether there's room. We'll do a free 15-minute call to see if the group is a fit for you, and if you're a fit for the group. (I'm intentional about who I add — the room only works when the mix is right.)