Father's Day 2008 And Men's Health Week: Experts Available To Discuss Non-Traditional Father Roles And What Men Do To Get And Stay Healthy

Main Category: Psychology / Psychiatry
Article Date: 10 Jun 2008 - 4:00 PST

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What

Besides the traditional fatherhood roles portrayed in the media, dads can be single, gay, adoptive or step parents, as well as caregivers to physically or psychologically challenged children. Psychologists have examined how men are weathering fatherhood in the new millennium, how they handle rivalries between children and former spouses and how they deal with their own health challenges, for example. As you prepare stories for this year's Father's Day, June 15 and Men's Health Week (June 9-15), the following psychologists are available to provide insight and perspective.

Sam V. Cochran, PhD, Assistant Director of University Counseling Service, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, University of Iowa and in private practice. Cochran can speak about men and mood disorders. According to Cochran, depression is an under- diagnosed and under-treated condition in men. He outlines this in his book, "Men and Depression: Clinical and Empirical Perspective."

Michael J. Diamond, PhD., ABPP, Licensed Psychologist & Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, University of California, Los Angeles. Diamond can talk about fathering daughters, fathering throughout the life cycle, resolving early father-child issues later in life, male development throughout the life cycle and the importance of being a father or father surrogate on maturation, societal changes and their impact on fathering and alternative fathering arrangements, including late-timed fathering, single fathers, gay fathers and fathers as the primary nurturers. Visit http://www.drmichaeljdiamond.com for more.

Ethan Gologor, PhD, Professor, City University of New York. Gologor can talk about being an adoptive father and/or step-parent, rivalry between sons, divorce, health challenges and therapy. He can also shed light on what it is like to father over a lifetime, from fathering toddlers to middle-aged adults.

Glenn E. Good, PhD, Associate Professor and Director of the Counseling Psychology Program, University of Missouri-Columbia. Good's research examines the confusion and stress associated with conceptions of masculinity and men's roles and mid-life crisis. He is past president of APA's Division on Society for Psychological Study of Men and Masculinity. He addresses men and therapy in his latest book, "The New Handbook of Psychotherapy and Counseling With Men."

Gordon E. Finley, PhD, Professor of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami. Finley's research examines fathers, children and divorce; false abuse allegations in the context of divorce and custody disputes; and adoption. He can also compare fathers from different countries/cultures. He developed the "The father involvement and nurturant fathering scales," which measures how involved and how nurturing fathers are with their children.

Patricia L. Papernow, EdD, Private Practice, Hudson, Mass. Papernow can speak about stepfathers, fathering children with learning disabilities such as ADHD and autism, men and divorce and dealing with ex-spouses. She also can talk about therapy with men.

Harold Pass, PhD, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Director, Psychotherapy Training, Stony Brook University and Medical Center. Pass can talk about two-career relationships and the effect on men. He can speak about father-child relationships, divorce, men's health and non-traditional fathering and parenting.

Men more often than women say that stress negatively affects their lives. Take time this Father's Day to recognize Dad's stress. See tips on APA's website.

American Psychological Association