Difficult male clients? Social service and health practitioners’ perspectives

Abstract Men continue to underutilize health and social services, often presenting late, in distress, and with behaviors that clash with dominant therapeutic models. This study explores how service providers interpret and navigate these challenges, drawing on critical incident interviews with 47 practitioners across the social and health sectors in Québec, conducted during the initial phase of a larger study evaluating a professional development program. Practitioners reported recurring difficulties engaging men, including resistance to introspection, emotional withdrawal, and perceived aggression. Rather than pathologizing these behaviors, we interpret them through Raymond Boudon’s theory of actor rationality and his concept of Homo sociologicus—which positions individuals as acting according to socially situated reasoning within their cultural and social contexts. We argue that service providers often misread men’s help-seeking behaviors due to conflicting social logics shaped by gender norms. To bridge this gap, we propose integrating Homo sociologicus into practitioner training, encouraging epistemological breaks from normative assumptions, and promoting action-oriented, reflexive intervention models. By reframing men’s behaviors as socially meaningful rather than resistant, practitioners can improve relational engagement, tailor services more effectively, and reduce structural barriers to care.