Looking for something where I can actually talk to other dads about the mental health side of parenting. Not really a "dad jokes and golf" group, more like actual conversations about depression, anxiety, loneliness, etc. Does anyone know if there's anything like that in Portland? Or is it all just online stuff?
There's a pretty solid dads group that meets at the Community Center on NE 82nd, I think it's Tuesdays at 7pm. I went a few times after my second was born and really needed to talk to someone who got it. The guys there are real about the hard stuff, not just complaining about sleep deprivation.
The OHSU wellness center has some programs. My buddy went to one of their parenting stress workshops and said it was less woo-woo than he expected, actual coping strategies from a psychologist.
Good on you for looking. I didn't reach out for two years and just suffered through. Portland's pretty progressive so there's definitely resources, might also try asking your pediatrician, ours actually had a list of dad-specific mental health stuff.
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Have you checked out Portland Dads on Facebook? It's more online but they do occasional meetups at breweries and parks. The mental health conversations happen there too, everyone's pretty open about anxiety and depression and how parenting amplifies it.
I did therapy specifically for postpartum anxiety even though I'm a dad, found my therapist through Zencare and filtered by parenting focus. Sometimes individual therapy is easier than a group setting, just saying.