Men's night an opportunity for fathers to speak about hopes and fears

18 Oct 2019

22 October 2019

Raphael Services Mental Health Clinician and Social Worker Carrie Battiste facilitated the recent workshop which included a combination of exploring key concepts from the Circle of Security parenting program and open discussions and questions about each participant’s experience with parenting.

“Men also go through the emotional stresses of parenting, with current statistics indicating that one in 10 dads experiences postnatal depression and anxiety following the birth of their baby,” Carrie said.

“We want dads to recognise that what they are currently going through, other dads are experiencing as well, so they’re not walking the parenthood journey alone.”

New father Randy said although he was nervous to attend at first, the facilitators were able to create a comfortable and safe environment for dads to open up and share their experiences.

“I was nervous and wasn’t sure about the workshop at first because we were talking to strangers, but the facilitators were excellent and created a comfortable space for us to share.

“It was great to hear what the others dads were going through and hearing similarities in the stories – it makes you feel like you’re not the only person going through those issues,” Randy said.

The father of one said he left the evening feeling more confident in his parenting skills and felt better knowing that he was helping his partner.

“Before the workshop, I wasn’t sure whether the things I were doing were helping or hindering my partner, so it was a good checkpoint for me,” he said.

Carrie said she wanted Australian dads to know that Raphael Services exists to help them.

“Every year we see over 2,000 new parents who are seeking support for their emotional wellbeing as a parent,” said Carrie.

“Events such as these get men together to have open and honest conversations about parenting and supporting their partners.”

For more information or to book, call 1800 292 292 or email [email protected].