“Find a group near you” sounds straightforward until you look at your actual week.
You might work shifts. You might not drive. You might live nowhere near the meeting somebody recommends. Or you might be able to find the time for a conversation but not the travel either side of it.
That does not mean support is unimportant to you. It means access is practical as well as emotional.
Today’s Daddies Do Too men’s mental health spotlight is Men Who Talk, an organisation whose online format may remove one of those obstacles. It will not remove every obstacle, and it is not the right setting for everyone, but it gives men another option.
What is Men Who Talk?
Men Who Talk is a UK charity offering free online groups for adult men living in the UK. Its groups provide social, supportive spaces to share experiences, listen and connect.
The charity’s explanation of its groups is explicit: they are not therapy or counselling. Volunteer facilitators support the sessions, but should not be treated as your therapist.
This matters because clear expectations make it easier to choose sensibly. You are considering an opportunity to connect with other people, not booking a clinical appointment under another name.
Who can join, and how does it work?
The current FAQs say the groups are open to people who identify as male, aged 18 and over, anywhere in the UK. Sessions take place on Zoom. Follow the organisation’s booking page for current dates and availability.
Do not assume that because a service is online, you can simply arrive whenever you like. Check the joining process and any confirmation message. Make sure you know when the session begins and what to do if you cannot find the link.
If you are uncertain whether the group is suitable for your situation, contact the organisation directly. A question asked beforehand may save you from trying to work it out at the moment you hoped to join.
Privacy does not mean giving nobody your details
Men Who Talk distinguishes between what organisers need for safeguarding and what other attendees see. Its FAQs say registration requires your real name, email address and phone number. You may use a different name or keep your camera off in the Zoom room, with a private check by a facilitator to confirm details.
Read the privacy and joining answers yourself before booking. Do not interpret an option to use another name in the group as a promise that the whole service is anonymous or that safeguarding exceptions cannot apply.
This is one of those details that can be missed in a short social caption. Knowing it in advance lets you decide what you are comfortable with, rather than discovering the registration requirements at the last minute.
Make an online meeting workable at home
An online group can remove travel. It cannot automatically provide privacy, childcare, an internet connection or time away from interruptions.
Consider where you could join without other people hearing the conversation. Headphones reduce what comes from your speakers, but your own voice can still carry. If a room is shared, explain that you need uninterrupted time without repeating anyone else’s personal information afterwards.
Check that your device is charged and that you can use the meeting link. Close unrelated notifications if they will keep pulling your attention away. Do not join while driving, supervising something hazardous or doing work that needs your full attention.
For parents, think about care arrangements as well as the screen. An online meeting is still time when you are participating in something. It is reasonable to discuss that with whoever shares your responsibilities instead of pretending you can do everything at once.
If there is no private place available, ask the organisation whether it has suggestions or look at another format. Being unable to make a particular session work does not mean you are beyond help.
You do not need to turn your life into content
There is a difference between talking to a facilitated group and posting your experiences to an audience.
You do not owe your followers an explanation of why you are attending. You do not need to publish a before-and-after story, post a screenshot of the meeting or demonstrate that you have made progress.
Respect the other men in the session in the same way. Do not record, screenshot or repeat their stories. If you choose to tell someone that a group was useful, you can speak about your own experience without exposing anybody else.
The aim is connection, not a performance of openness.
What could a dad bring to the conversation?
Perhaps you are finding the return to work after a baby harder than expected. Perhaps you are a stepdad trying to understand your place, a separated dad dealing with a changed routine or a father whose children have grown up.
Perhaps none of it is about parenting. You might want to talk about loneliness, a difficult week, a friendship that has faded or something you are looking forward to.
Those are possible starting points, not a checklist of problems you must have. You do not have to turn up with the most serious story in the room to deserve to be heard.
You also do not need to introduce yourself as the strong one who has finally broken. That story puts another demand on men. You can simply be someone who would like a bit of support and company.
What if online support does not suit you?
Some people find screens convenient; others find it harder to feel connected online. Either response is legitimate.
If the format is not for you, the rest of this series includes local talking groups, community workshops and walking groups. The question is not which option you should force yourself to like. It is which route is accessible, appropriate and something you are willing to explore.
You can also seek professional support independently of whether you attend a peer group. A group does not need to meet every need to have a useful place, and needing something different is not a criticism of its volunteers.
Do not wait for a session if you are unsafe
Cannot keep yourself or someone else safe? Call 999 or go to A&E. See NHS urgent-help guidance. Samaritans: 116 123, free, day or night.
Do not rely on a charity’s general email inbox, this website’s comments or a social-media message for emergency help. Peer groups are not a replacement for urgent services.
A practical next step
Visit the official groups page. Read how to join and choose a session only when its timing and privacy arrangements work for you.
You do not have to make a grand declaration. Opening the information and deciding what to ask can be enough for today.
Getting out of the house is not the only way to begin finding company. For some men, opening the right door starts with opening a laptop.
Illustrative AI-generated image, not a photograph of the organisation or an actual group meeting. This is independent Daddies Do Too editorial coverage, not a partnership or endorsement.
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