Why join a group
What is a talking group?
A talking group is a small group of men who meet at the same time every week with two trained psychotherapists and talk about what’s really going on: work, relationships, pressure, the lot.
You listen, you speak when you’re ready, and the therapists help you see the patterns underneath, so you can change them. No advice, no lectures, no jargon.
8 weeks
One 90-minute session a week
6–10 men
The same group each week
2 psychotherapists
A man and a woman lead every group
£160 a month
Four weekly sessions
What you get
Train the part of you nobody sees.
You wouldn’t expect to get fit without training. Your head’s no different.
Sleep through the night
Stop taking it all to bed. Put it down in the room each week and the 3am loops lose their grip.
Keep your cool
Learn what sets you off and why. Stop snapping at the people you care about, and start choosing how you respond.
Win back home
Have the conversation you’ve been avoiding without it turning into a row. Be the partner and the dad you mean to be.
Think straight at work
Pressure, decisions, difficult people. Stay clear-headed when it counts, and stop bringing it home.
Stand taller
Saying it out loud, and being heard, builds a confidence no promotion or personal best ever gave you.
Have men in your corner
Same faces, every week. A crew of men who know what you’re carrying, and won’t let you carry it alone.
Relationships
Happier, richer relationships.
At home, at work, with your mates. Say what you mean, stop the same arguments going round, and get closer to the people who matter most.
What men tell us
How men feel after a group.
Lighter, mostly. Like years of weight they didn’t know they were carrying has finally been put down. More hopeful. More confident. Clearer about what they actually want, and how to go and get it. Less stress, less worry, fewer nights lying awake. Relationships that feel richer, because they can finally say what they mean. And a steadier sense of who they are, what they want, and where they’re heading.
The research
The science behind it.
Naming a feeling turns down the brain’s alarm. In a UCLA brain-scan study, putting feelings into words reduced activity in the amygdala, the part that fires up fight-or-flight.
Isolation is hard on the heart. Across 23 studies, loneliness and social isolation were linked to a 29% higher risk of heart disease and a 32% higher risk of stroke.
The longest study of adult life, running since 1938, found that how satisfied people were in their relationships in midlife predicted their health at 80 better than their cholesterol did.
Groups work. A 2021 review of 30 years of research found group therapy gets results “equivalent to those of individual psychotherapy”.
FAQs
The questions men actually ask.
Is this just sitting in a circle talking about feelings?
Partly, and that’s the point. But it isn’t fluffy. It’s a small group of men talking straight about real things: work, relationships, anger, pressure, the stuff that keeps you up. Two psychotherapists keep it focused and useful.
I’m not much of a talker. Do I have to speak?
No. Nobody’s put on the spot. Most men start by listening and end up saying more than they expected. Listening counts.
Is this for men who are struggling?
It’s for men who want to get stronger. Think of it like the gym: you go to build fitness, not because something’s wrong. Men come to handle things even better, at home, at work and in their own head.
What do you actually talk about?
Whatever’s going on for the men in the room. Partners, kids, work, money, anger, loss, getting older, feeling stuck. You bring what’s real; the group does the rest.
Why is a woman leading a men’s group?
Because life isn’t men-only. With a man and a woman leading, you can work through real-world dynamics in the room, the conflict, the pressure and the things that are hard to say, and take that back into your relationships.
Will anyone find out I’m going?
Only if you tell them. What’s said in the room stays in the room. As with all therapy, the only exception is a serious risk of harm to you or someone else.
What’s the commitment?
8 weekly sessions of around 90 minutes, with the same 6–10 men each week. Turning up is the main ask.
What does it cost?
£160 a month for four weekly sessions, a fraction of what one-to-one therapy costs. We’ll confirm the details for your group when we get in touch.
Where is it?
Places you might already go: Better’s Gunnersbury Park Sports Hub, and Fulham Reach Boat Club in Hammersmith.
Do I need to have had therapy before?
No. Most men haven’t. We’ll have a quick chat with you first so you know exactly what you’re walking into.
What if I’m in a bad place right now?
Real Talk isn’t a crisis service. If you need help now, call Samaritans free on 116 123, contact your GP or NHS 111, or call 999 in an emergency.
Men’s talking groups in West London, led by experienced psychotherapists.
Real Talk is not a crisis service. If you need help now, call Samaritans free on 116 123, any time.