Welcome to the Men's Resource Center
We live in a culture in which men are celebrated for being "real men." Contemporary media—TV, movies, sports—glorify qualities associated with success and power: physical toughness, sexual prowess, and dominance at work and in the home. Men are encouraged to control others, often leading to problems with intimacy, isolation, and resentment as well as emotionally abusive behavior and physical violence.
A New Humanity
At the Men's Resource Center of West Michigan, we help men to discover and explore what it means not just to be a man but also to be a whole human being. Combining the best of masculine and feminine attributes, we seek a new humanity for men that is characterized by respect for others and self through an openness to new ideas, acceptance of differences, and dedication to personal growth.
We celebrate men for becoming comfortable with their softer or feminine side. We support men for their sensitivity, self-disclosure, ability to listen and compromise, capacity to feel, and dedication to helping others.
For men to open themselves to their humanity means that everything they do—every decision they make, every interaction they have with another person—needs to be an act of respect. In their daily lives, the “new man” is accountable for what he does and the way he chooses to live.
Transformation
The Men's Resource Center is part of a movement that transforms social and psychological structures of power based on hierarchy and fear into expressions of power based on human connection and respect. We offer programs to help men grow through:
- Phone coaching for men to avoid domestic abuse, overcome substance abuse, and grow personally
- Consultation and training for therapists, teachers, clergy and other professionals on topics such as raising boys in the new millennium
- Group and individual counseling for men who have been emotionally or physically abusive
- Experiential workshops leading to men's personal growth
- Publications for men and professionals who work with them
- Advocacy for victims of abuse and crime.
Our book, Stop Hurting the Woman You Love: Breaking the Cycle of Abusive Behavior, was recently published by Hazelden. While there are many books for women who have abused and some texts for treatment professionals, Stop Hurting is the first book to address abusive men themselves in an inviting but confrontational way. Our book lays out a step-by-step plan to help men avoid or stop abusing their partners. We believe it will become an important tool in the international effort to end domestic violence.
Our staff has provided specialized services for men since 1992. The Men's Resource Center, formally founded in 1999, has offices in Grand Rapids and Holland, Michigan. It is our goal to create a caring, supportive, strong, and safe community for both men and women, and we invite the men of all regions, religions, racial and ethnic groups to join us in our work.