Zach Flood, Psychotherapist and Associate Evaluator with the Men’s Resource Center of West Michigan, earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Michigan State University and his Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from the Michigan School of Psychology. He joined the Men’s Resource Center after a successful career in business sales and management.
Immersed in the world of business, Zach’s focus was on building relationships with clients and vendors, providing solutions, and developing teams. Although he enjoyed his job and the companies he worked with, eventually the work felt transactional and unfulfilling. He transferred his expertise in human interaction and relationship building to a career in psychology.
Zach chose the Men’s Resource Center in part because of its focus on revisioning masculinity and working with men and boys to more fully develop their humanity. There are many aspects of traditional masculinity that he sees as healthy and helpful, but far too many ways in which it has been twisted and radicalized. He has experienced the nurturing side of men as well as how the way in which boys are raised can either draw them closer to or alienate them from others.
Men are constantly measured by what they achieve or produce. They are conditioned, through perpetuated gender roles, that traits such as strength and/or stoicism are the only acceptable reactions to stress or hardship. Zach believes that while these reactions can be valuable in certain situations, there is a more complete definition of what it means to be a man in today’s society. He is determined to have a say in how masculinity is viewed in the future and entered this profession with a passion and vigor directed at the goal of helping men become the fullest version of themselves.
Zach’s business experience provides him with insight to counsel men struggling to adapt to the 21st-century work environment where different skill sets are valued. He also assists businesses and organizations in developing safer workspaces and healthier environments where employees can flourish and do their best.
Another aspect of Zach’s work with the Men’s Resource Center focuses on family relationships. He is intricately involved with court-related psychological services, serving as an associate evaluator in custody and parenting time evaluations. He is acutely aware of how important and impactful this work is; understanding the way in which effective collaboration and critical interfacing between courts and mental health services determine the health and well-being of families.
Zach embraces the challenge of working with families and individuals as they navigate many of the complicated family dynamics associated with contentious divorces including resist and refuse dynamics in parent-child contact problems. He provides family court coaching and leads a support group for rejected/targeted parents experiencing parental alienation. And he offers online counseling for children and adolescents caught in the middle of high-conflict families.
Zach knows the stress that new challenges and past experiences can have on your mental health. He believes that although no experience is going to be the same, every experience deserves the same amount of care and attention.
You can learn more about Zach’s philosophy by reading his posts on basketball star Rick Barry and on the changing conversation around fatherhood. For information about Zach’s services, including individual and group counseling, contact the Men’s Resource Center online or call (616) 456-1178.