Workshop Overview:
Working with Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse
Ahead of the July 2025 launch of his book, An Intersectional Guide for Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse and their Allies: Masculinity Reconnected, author and therapist Jeremy Sachs is offering a four-session course for therapists and healthcare professionals.
This course focuses on supporting male survivors of sexual abuse, with an emphasis on contemporary context, intersectionality, and clinical approaches.
Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse – Contemporary Context, Intersectionality, and Initial Presentations.
Overview:
This first session provides a foundation for understanding male survivors of sexual abuse. It explores the contemporary context of men as victims of sexual violence, the importance of intersectionality, and common initial presentations in therapy. Participants will engage in case study discussions to apply their learning.
Key Topics:
1. Contemporary Context of Men and Sexual Abuse:
- A brief history of men as victims of sexual violence.
- Key milestones in media representation, failures in the criminal justice system, and high-profile legal cases.
2. Importance of Intersectionality:
- How mental health inequalities, stigma, and other intersecting identities (e.g., race, sexuality, socioeconomic status) create unique challenges for male survivors.
3. Initial Presentations in Therapy:
- Common patterns leading men to seek therapy, including current mental health difficulties, triggered trauma responses, and historic behavioral adaptations.
4. Case Study Review:
- Small group discussions to share observations and explore clinical approaches.
Session 2-5 Structure:
This is the first of four sessions in the course. Below is a breakdown of all sessions:
Session Two: The impact of sexual abuse on developmental stages, with a focus on sex and shame.
Session Three: The importance of adolescence in understanding male survivors.
Session Four: Defense adaptations, the role of narcissism, and common presentations.
Session Five (Optional): A small group session for participants who have attended at least three sessions. This will provide an opportunity for supervision, reflection, and processing the course content.
About the Book:
The course draws on material from Jeremy Sachs’ forthcoming book, An Intersectional Guide for Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse and their Allies: Masculinity Reconnected, set for release in July 2025. Early reviews:
“Packed full of insights and practical guidance and signposting, this is an engaging, accessible, and deeply compassionate text for male survivors of sexual abuse and their allies—including the professionals working with them. An essential guide for those wanting to navigate this complex, sensitive, but profoundly important field”.
– Mick Cooper, author of Psychology at the Heart of Social Change (Policy Press, 2023).
“Given that patriarchal adaptations mean men are often taught to hide, or suppress, the shame of sexual abuse, to have so gentle, yet so pointed and strong, a masculine voice speak on so sensitive a subject says a lot about the power of the prose presented in this volume. This is an emotional, sensitive tome, written from the thoughtful and somatically considered. This book lays out that road, presents pathways for practitioners to work with what is a challenging, little understood, yet hugely important experience for a good number of men. This is therefore a worthwhile, easy to access, deep dive into the experiences of male survivors of sexual abuse, which offers routes forward for practitioners working with these issues in their practices”.
– Dr Dwight Turner – (He/Him) PhD, Dipl Supvn, Psychotherapist, Supervisor, and Workshop, Facilitator, UKCP Accredited
“[An Intersectional Guide for Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse and Their Allies] is profoundly moving: emotionally, it draws you into the embodied narratives of male sexual abuse survivors, compelling you to immerse in their lived realities often shrouded in silence. Conceptually, it challenges the very core of persistent myths about what it means to live as, and be, a man. Therapeutically, it provokes a necessary and urgent reckoning amongst mental health professionals, urging us to question how rigid social constructions of masculinity implicitly guide therapeutic interactions with male service users, where silent struggles may be mistaken as stoic endurance”.
– Dr Nini Kerr, Senior Lecturer in Counselling, Psychotherapy and Applied Social Sciences School of Health in Social Science, The University of Edinburgh
“In this book, Jeremy Sachs engages the reader with essential information, practical guidance and real-life examples, supported by reflective activities and resources. The emphasis on the impact of intersectionality provides a contemporary and much-needed lens through which to understand the unique difficulties of male survivors. But it is the way that Jeremy writes, making the reader feel understood, supported, and respected, that gives a sense that he is there with you throughout”.
– Professor Kate Smith, University of Aberdeen
“Jeremy Sachs’ thoughtful, caring and sensitive exploration of the complexities and nuances of the under-recognised impact of male sexual trauma and abuse will benefit men, their allies, and clinicians in navigating words and experiences hidden by years of emotional turmoil. This essential resource will assist in demystifying survivors’ experiences”.
– Andrew Davidson, Joint Programme Head of the Diploma in Psychosexual Therapy at Tavistock Relationships.
Learning Objective Participants Can Expect From This Event
- Understand the impact of stigma, oppressive practices, and community trauma on male survivors and its relevance to current clients.
- Begin to deconstruct male identity and consider how different groups are impacted by sexual trauma.
- Recognize the common experiences that lead male survivors to seek therapy.
Who is This Workshop Appropriate For?
- Therapists, social workers and people in healthcare professions.
How May This Workshop Impact Your Practice?
- The course aims to deepen understanding of issues facing male survivors both in and outside the therapy room.
Course Content
Presenter
Jeremy Sachs is a psychotherapist based in Glasgow. He developed and facilitated groups for male survivors of sexual abuse for 6 years at SurvivorsUK. While there he developed services for trans & non-binary survivors, and boys 13 years upward.
He works with trauma survivors of all genders who have experienced sexual or relational trauma. Outside of the therapy room he develops psychologically informed research participation methodologies. This is often working across different communities, or where participation requires specialised psychologically informed practice or particular ethical awareness. He is an occasional guest lecturer at The Tavistock Relationships on their Psychosexual Psychotherapy diploma and consults with the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health on trauma informed practice.
He presents The Trauma Talks podcast, a show that examines different experiences of trauma and how it impacts peoples everyday lives and is a contributing writer to the BACP’s Private Practice Journal, Therapy Today and Happiful Magazine.
He is currently writing a book for Routledge Taylor & Francis on the topic of intersectionality and male survivors of sexual abuse.
