Seeking help, doing gender: Gender differences in facilitators of psychotherapy use—A qualitative study

OBJECTIVES: This study examines how individuals "do gender" in their help-seeking for psychotherapy, focusing on the facilitators that support entry into treatment and the ways these are articulated by women and men. DESIGN: A qualitative study design was adopted, guided by the theoretical framework of doing gender and complemented by a mixed-methods component. METHODS: Narratives from 43 psychotherapy patients who identified as female or male were analysed using qualitative content analysis. This was supplemented by a word count analysis. RESULTS: Women often relied on female social and professional networks, valued empathy and emotional sensitivity, and described their treatment choices in a more assertive way. Men more frequently adopted structured, problem-focused reasoning, at times linking therapy to the restoration of social and professional functioning and invested more effort in selecting a therapeutic approach. CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlight the importance of gender-responsive communication strategies in mental health care: relational and empathetic aspects may resonate more strongly with women, whereas practical, goal-oriented benefits may be particularly effective for men. At the same time, approaches must remain flexible to account for diversity and fluidity in gender identities. Future research should include younger, non-binary and gender-diverse groups.