Four types · Six directories · 8-minute read
How to find a men's group near you
What's actually out there, how to size each type up, and what to do when you walk in for the first time.
The short version
If you're searching for a mens group near me, there are real options in most communities right now: peer-led groups through ManKind Project and EVRYMAN, activity-based Men's Sheds, faith-based groups through local churches, and veteran networks. The search takes about twenty minutes if you know where to look.
- Four types of groups: peer-led (free or low cost), therapist-led (structured, paid), faith-based, and online.
- ManKind Project, EVRYMAN, and Men's Sheds are the three biggest networks with searchable directories.
- Green flags: fixed schedule, clear format, existing track record. Red flags: no structure, pressure to share on visit one.
- If nothing exists nearby, starting one is easier than most men think. The full guide is at how to build a men's group.
If you typed "mens group near me" tonight, here's what to know first: thin search results don't mean nothing exists. Most men's groups don't have a website. A six-man group that's been meeting in somebody's garage on Thursdays for three years doesn't show up in Google. The directories below are where these groups actually live, and working through them takes about twenty minutes.
This page goes deeper than our general find a men's group guide. That one covers the full directory landscape, six countries, Men's Sheds locators, and senior programs. This one is for the man who's ready to walk in somewhere and wants to know what to expect when he does.
The main types of men's groups you'll find
Understanding the four types before you search saves you from showing up somewhere that isn't a fit.
Peer-led groups
The most common and almost always free or low cost. A facilitator, often one of the members rather than a paid professional, keeps the conversation on track. No homework, no intake form, no clinical framework. These range from highly structured (like ManKind Project's weekly i-Groups) to loosely organized (six men who've been meeting at the same coffee shop every Thursday for four years). Most men who stay in a group long-term are in something like this.
Therapist-led or structured groups
A licensed professional or trained facilitator runs the session. They tend to follow a curriculum, run for a set number of sessions, and cost money, usually $20 to $60 per session. These make sense if you want something closer to a structured program, if you're working through something specific, or if you do better with clear guidance. They're not individual therapy. You're still sitting with other men, and that's most of the value.
Faith-based groups
These run through churches, synagogues, and other congregations. They range from scripture-heavy to mostly breakfast and conversation, with prayer somewhere in between. They don't require membership, and most welcome any man who walks in. They're also far more common than search engines suggest, because most aren't listed anywhere online. Two phone calls will usually find one.
Online groups
If you're rural, travel-heavy, physically limited, or simply can't find anything locally, online groups work better than most men expect. Both ManKind Project and EVRYMAN run online groups using the same formats as their in-person meetings. The main difference: you lose the informal time before and after, which turns out to matter more than most men realize. The full comparison is at online vs. in-person men's groups.
Where to search right now
These are the directories and networks worth checking, in order of how likely they are to turn up something near you.
- ManKind Project: the largest peer-facilitated men's group network in the world, operating in more than 20 countries since the 1980s. Their weekly groups are called i-Groups. They're free or nearly free and run on a consistent format that a lot of men find more effective than they expected. Fair warning: MKP is best known for its weekend training program, which some men find transformative and others find too intense. The weekly groups are separate from that. Visit one i-Group before you form an opinion either way. Find groups at mkp.org/mens-groups.
- EVRYMAN: a newer network, more casual and accessible than MKP for men who find MKP's approach too structured. EVRYMAN runs peer-led groups both in person and online, with a mix of free community groups and paid programming. Find groups at evryman.com.
- Men's Sheds: community workshops where men build, repair, and make things together. The conversation happens over the workbench, which suits many men better than sitting in a circle. Roughly 900 Sheds in Australia, 900 in the UK, 450 in Ireland, 140+ in Canada, and a younger but growing US network. Find your national locator at mensshed.org. This is the right starting point if you'd rather do something with your hands than talk about your feelings directly.
- Veterans groups: if you've served, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, and Team Red White and Blue all run groups and events specifically for veterans. These aren't therapy groups. They're community. Team RWB in particular runs local chapters focused on physical activity and social connection. Find a chapter at teamrwb.org.
- Local YMCA: more YMCAs are running men's programming than they did five years ago, including exercise-based groups, men's health discussions, and some social groups. It won't usually be listed on the website. Call and ask.
- Meetup.com: search "men's group" plus your city. Sort by last activity, not member count. A 12-man group that met last Tuesday beats a 400-member group that last gathered two winters ago.
- Church bulletins and men's ministry: call the office of any congregation near you and ask whether they have a men's group and when it meets. Most welcome men from outside the congregation. Two phone calls is usually enough to find something.
What to look for (and what to avoid)
After fifteen years doing this work, here's what a good group looks like on a first visit, and what should give you pause.
Green flags
- Fixed schedule: same day, same time, same place
- Clear meeting format that they can explain in two sentences
- Men who've been coming for six months or more
- A way to participate without having to perform on day one
- Someone learns your name within the first ten minutes
Red flags
- No structure, every meeting improvised
- Leader can't explain what a typical meeting looks like
- Pressure to share deeply on the first visit
- The first conversation is about cost or membership tiers
- High turnover, men don't come back after their first visit
Give a promising group three visits before you decide. The first visit you're a stranger, and that's normal. By the third visit you'll know in your gut whether these are men you'd want to keep coming back to. Trust that instinct over any structural checklist.
What to expect when you walk in for the first time
Most men's groups start with some version of a check-in: each man says a sentence or two about where he is that week. Not a therapy prompt. Just a pulse check. You don't have to say anything deep. "Work's been busy and I'm glad to be here" is a perfectly acceptable check-in.
After the check-in there's usually a topic or question that opens conversation. In structured groups it's assigned in advance. In looser groups someone brings something they've been thinking about, or there's a rotating prompt. The facilitator's job is to make sure the conversation doesn't get stuck on one man and that everyone has a chance to speak. A good facilitator is invisible most of the time.
Most meetings end with a brief close, another round of check-out sentences, or sometimes just a handshake. The time before and after the formal meeting is often where the actual connections happen. Don't leave the second the meeting ends, at least not for the first few times.
One more thing: you don't have to be going through something hard to belong in a men's group. A lot of men show up in a rough patch and a lot of men show up because their life is basically fine and they want men around them to keep it that way. Both are legitimate reasons.
If you can't find one nearby
You're not stuck. Starting a men's group is easier than most men expect, and it doesn't require any formal training, budget, or special qualifications.
Every group in every directory on this page started the same way: one man decided it should exist, wrote one sentence about what it was for, and made five to eight personal invitations. That's the whole model. No license, no budget, no charter required.
The full step-by-step guide is at how to build a men's group. It covers how to write the one-sentence purpose, who to invite and exactly what to say, how to run a simple 90-minute first meeting, and how to keep the thing going for years.
More men than you'd expect will say yes when someone asks them directly. The asking is the part most men skip. As far as I'm concerned, that man is you.
Online options if geography is the problem
Online groups work better than most men expect. Both ManKind Project and EVRYMAN run online groups using the same formats as their in-person meetings. The main difference is you lose the informal time before and after the meeting, which turns out to matter more than most men realize once they've been in a group for a while.
The full breakdown is at online vs. in-person men's groups. The short version: if online is your only realistic option, it's worth doing. It's better than nothing. If you have an in-person option within reasonable distance, take it.
Online groups make the most sense for men who are rural, travel frequently, have physical limitations that make regular in-person attendance hard, or are just testing the waters before committing to something in person.
Common questions
What happens at a men's group meeting?
Most peer-led groups run 60 to 90 minutes. There's usually a brief check-in at the start where each man says a sentence or two about where he is that week, not a therapy prompt, just a pulse check. Then a topic or question opens the conversation. A good group has a clear enough format that men know what to expect, but not so rigid that it feels like a seminar. Most meetings end with a brief close or a round of check-out sentences. Don't skip the informal time before and after, that's where a lot of the actual connection happens.
How much does a men's group cost?
Peer-led groups like ManKind Project i-Groups, EVRYMAN community groups, and Men's Sheds are free or close to it, sometimes with modest annual dues under $50. Therapist-led or structured groups typically run $20 to $60 per session. Faith-based groups are free. Online groups range from free community groups to paid programs around $30 to $80 per month. Be cautious about any group whose first conversation is about membership tiers or cost.
Is a men's group the same as therapy?
No. A peer-led men's group isn't therapy and doesn't replace it if therapy is what you need. Therapy is a clinical relationship with a licensed professional and a treatment framework. A men's group is a social and relational structure. The two can complement each other, and a lot of men are in both. If you're in real distress, a men's group isn't a substitute for professional help. But if you're looking for connection and accountability, a men's group is often more effective at exactly that than individual therapy is.
How do I know if a group is a good fit?
Give it three visits. The first visit you're a stranger, and that awkwardness is normal. By the third visit you'll know in your gut whether these are men you'd want to keep coming back to. Practical things to notice on that first visit: did anyone learn your name? Is there a way to participate without having to perform? Do you leave feeling the time was worth it? Trust the gut answer to that last question more than anything else on the checklist.
What if I'm not the "group type"?
Most men who stick with a group weren't sure they were the group type when they started. "Group type" usually turns out to mean "men who gave it enough time." The format matters more than most men realize before they try it. If sitting in a circle talking isn't your thing, try a Men's Shed, a veterans chapter, or any activity-based group first. The men who show up to Men's Sheds are not therapy enthusiasts. They're retired tradesmen who wanted something useful to do on a Tuesday. Find the format that fits, not the format that sounds most like what a group is supposed to be.
How long before a men's group actually helps?
The research on social connection and group participation suggests that consistent involvement over three to six months produces meaningful changes in reported wellbeing [2]. Anecdotally, most men describe the first real payoff around the four to eight week mark: not a dramatic shift, just the quiet realization that they're looking forward to the next meeting. That's the thing you're building toward. It takes repetition to get there, and the men who quit after one awkward visit never find out that the second month is when it pays off.
Are there men's groups for specific ages or interests?
Yes. Men's Sheds skew toward men over 50 with an activity-based format. Veterans groups serve men who've served in the military. Some ManKind Project and EVRYMAN groups develop informal age clustering based on who shows up. If you're specifically looking for groups for men over 60, the dedicated guide at men's groups for retirees covers the full landscape, including ROMEO lunch crews, senior center programs, and the US Eldercare Locator. For church-based options specifically, see our church men's group guide.
Want to start your own instead?
The Men's Group Starter Kit is a free printable PDF with invitation scripts, a minute-by-minute first meeting plan, and 20 questions that get men talking.
Get the free kitSources
- Kelly, D., Steiner, A., Mason, H., et al. (2021). Men's Sheds as an alternative healthcare route? A qualitative study of the impact of Men's Sheds on user's health improvement behaviours. BMC Public Health, 21, 553. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-10585-3
- Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T. B., & Layton, J. B. (2010). Social relationships and mortality risk: A meta-analytic review. PLOS Medicine, 7(7), e1000316. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000316
- ManKind Project USA. (2024). i-Group peer support groups. https://mkpusa.org/mens-group/