Raising four children with special needs, a father sometimes struggled to keep up with a demanding family routine built around each child’s needs. Even a small change could disrupt the carefully timed schedule.
Josh recalled getting upset with his daughter, a finicky eater, when she turned her nose up at a meal he’d prepared.
“I realized I was angrier than I should have been around my kids,” said Josh, who began individual counseling at NewBridge Services’ Parsippany location in the spring of 2025. “I was never going to be able to help them if I couldn’t help myself.”
Surveys routinely show that men are less likely than women to seek mental health support. In 2022, 41.6% of men with any mental illness received treatment, compared with 56.9% of women, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. NIMH noted men may experience symptoms such as anger or irritability, or persistent sadness, and that mental health problems can affect family life and other daily activities.
Research has found that pressure to conform to traditional masculine norms – such as self-reliance, toughness and emotional restraint – can discourage men from seeking mental health support. But signs such as ongoing irritability, changes in sleep or concentration, or increased alcohol use may be reasons to talk with a health professional.
“Some men feel they need to handle problems on their own, but when it comes to mental health, I encourage them to ask for help before things become overwhelming,” said James Castagna, a board-certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner with NewBridge. "Understanding their own mental health by learning coping strategies can help ease the problem.”
Castagna provides psychiatric evaluations, diagnoses and medication management for adults experiencing a wide range of mental health concerns, including depression, anxiety, PTSD and OCD.
“Everybody needs a non-biased professional to help you talk over your feelings,” said Josh, the father of four. Counseling helped Josh recognize how he had been reacting to stress and sadness, and learn other ways to cope. He also learned strategies to manage ADHD, including writing things down and setting timers.
When his daughter again rejected a meal served to her, rather than get angry, “I said, ‘OK, then what do you want? Let’s figure something out,’ ” he recalled. “We ended up making a grilled cheese together.”
To learn about NewBridge counseling services, contact the Access Department at (973) 316-9333 or Services@NewBridge.org.
