Counseling School-Age Boys

Abstract

As a subset of men, school-aged boys face a unique set of issues. There exists competing socialization pressures to adhere to feminist norms as well as adopting traditional gender roles to appease different groups. This, along with the ordinary challenges of growing up, can be very confusing for young men. The present chapter will focus on two topics: One, the social context for boys and young men. As they progress through different phases of gender identity development, they receive socialization from three main sources: parents, peers, and the media. In addition, this chapter outlines concrete counseling suggestions for boys in each level of grade school (elementary, middle, and high school). Intersectionality is also discussed.