MaleSurvivor

I found the forum itself to be deceptively a good place for men to come and shed their experience. However, I then learned that the man who was left in charge of the website, answering the emails, (NL) was cold, condescending, and refused to acknowledge critical issues that came from men asking for help. Quite frankly, he took some risks to potentially damage a man's life by writing personalized opinions via email rather than offer support. I made certain to inform him of his group's unorganized methods. MS Forum needs organization. And for moments of escalation that require further attention, they need to have an organized set of responses and procedures to delicately deal with men who are in distress. I found the webmaster and board of directors leader to be callous, cold, and uncaring. I would not recommend anyone to attend one of these weekends, to waste your money when this man does not invest in the emotional welfare of the men who divulge their innermost secrets. Dr. S.J.W.

It's cool they have forums on their site. It used to be good but they put a guy in charge of it who turned guys off. He did that to the healing circle meetings too. The mods were always good until they got one guy in there who has kind of taken over and he doesn't like new mods coming in. The top guy doesn't help with the online stuff, so it's just a bunch of volunteers kindof making stuff up as they go along. It's hard to volunteer because they take a long time to stop someone causing trouble in forums or chats but the chat mod and the one forum mod are fast to turn against other volunteers who get too many compliments from other mods.

Checked it out over a couple months. Leadership needs new blood...new ideas....professionals who are passionate about the community service malesurvivor.org boasts of. The same executive director and board of directors have been in place for years..and it shows. They do like to promote their retreat packages and pitch their books. The online mod team has some guys who feed their own egos by belittling others. The director needs to clean house and do some work there, but suggestions are not welcome. Sorry this is not a happy review, but guys with such a taboo topic to discuss should be safe with an organization intended to welcome them. That is not the case here.

Volunteers moderate the website discussion features. I valued this organization until I volunteered and witnessed its inner workings. The moderators are not properly supervised and some behave in a manner that suggests they are unfit to manage the diverse group of online guests or to oversee fellow volunteers. The chat room is managed by unlicensed/unqualified volunteers who assess, judge, and occasionally make light of or mock online guests in a hidden "Moderator's Forum." A few moderators are known to regularly target, disparage and marginalize others in an effort to posture themselves within the ranks and with the ED. Fellow moderators enable and entertain this behavior or remain silent for fear of retaliation. The BOD includes some highly respected licensed therapists -accomplished experts in the field- but they are far removed from the online operations. I found MaleSurvivor.org to be an unhealthy environment in which to volunteer as it counteracts the organization's very mission.

Useful. But not an altruistic endeavor. MS is a business. "Weekends of Recovery" run $750-1150 per person. Links to expensive books, CDs and DVDs on Amazon and CafePress. Paid memberships or "donations" entitle access to a rarely-used members-only discussion board. Participation should be an informed decision. I strongly suggest caution if you're vulnerable. MS can insist you reveal personal mental health information, including therapist's name. For any site seeking money, ethically questionable. Gay survivors of childhood sexual abuse are somewhat tolerated. They've been "granted" a discussion board section and "granted" a seat on the so-called board. But homophobic statements and innuendo in the general forums – particularly from those who invoke religion or politics – happens regularly and is often ignored by site moderators. It's a helpful site, a fair reputation among the professionals it constantly courts. But, at the end of the day, its business is primarily business.

I arrived to MaleSurvivor in a time of great need and what I found was nothing short of spectacular. While there I have not only grown as a survivor but have improved as a person. The men and women I met there have taught me much and inspired me more than I could have wished for so much so that I eventually began volunteering with the site. Having been in both roles I can honestly say whether you are a male survivor or a supporter of men recovering from sexual abuse this site is for you. While providing innumerable resources and avenues for personal support it also encourages its members and guests to work together in the pursuit of a better life by sharing with and helping one another. Highly recommended!

MaleSurvivor.org is a place where sexually abused men of all ages come to find safety, comfort and healthy association with men who have experienced sexual abuse and who are working to overcome the controls, the fears and the life reactions to the abuse. Here these men can post discussions, ask questions, read and reply to support others and even chat in real time with other survivors. The site is a great place to begin the recovery healing path. The Weekends of Recovery are a wonderful way to safely join with a small group of other survivors and professionals to find deep inner healing. These times are informative, calming, encouraging and the relationships that are developed can last a lifetime.