Rafael Cortina, LMFT 2027 Conference Speaker
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Rafael Cortina

Rafael Cortina
LMFT, MAC, CCTP-II, MBA
 

 


Rafael Cortina, LMFT, MAC, CCTP-II, MBA, is an international psychotherapist, trainer, and speaker with over 26 years of clinical experience specializing in trauma, addiction, men's mental health, attachment, and relational healing. He is the developer of the Compassionate Relational Gestalt Trauma Model (CRGTM) and serves as President of the International Association for the Advancement of Gestalt Therapy (IAAGT). Rafael has presented throughout the United States, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Australia, integrating Relational Gestalt Therapy, trauma-informed care, neuroscience, and somatic approaches to support clinicians in working effectively with trauma, addiction, emotional regulation, and relational challenges.

 

 

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The Loneliness of Men: Trauma, Addiction, and the Search for Connection A Compassionate Relational Gestalt Perspective on Men's Mental Health    

Date:   May 1, 2027

Time:   4:00 pm - 5:30 pm

CEs:   1.5

 

Description:

Despite increasing awareness of mental health concerns, many men continue to suffer in silence. Rates of substance abuse, suicide, social isolation, and emotional disconnection remain disproportionately high among men worldwide. Yet beneath these struggles often lies a deeper reality: unresolved trauma, attachment wounds, shame, and the loss of meaningful relational connection.  

This presentation explores men's mental health through the lens of the Compassionate Relational Gestalt Trauma Model (CRGTM), integrating trauma theory, attachment research, addiction studies, nervous system regulation, and Relational Gestalt Therapy. Rather than viewing addiction, emotional withdrawal, anger, workaholism, compulsive achievement, or emotional numbing as pathology alone, this workshop examines these behaviors as creative adaptations developed in response to relational pain and unmet developmental needs.    

Participants will explore how traditional masculine socialization often limits emotional expression, vulnerability, and intimacy, creating conditions where many men learn to survive through isolation rather than connection. The presentation offers a compassionate framework for understanding men's struggles and practical approaches for supporting healing through relational engagement, embodied awareness, and authentic human contact.  

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:  

  • Describe how masculine socialization influences emotional regulation, attachment, and mental health outcomes.    
  • Explain at least one addiction and compulsive behaviors as relational adaptations to trauma and emotional pain.    
  • Identify the role of shame, loneliness, and emotional isolation in men's mental health struggles.     
  • Apply at least one principle from the Compassionate Relational Gestalt Trauma Model (CRGTM) when working with men. 
 

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