Seven places to check · About 20 minutes · 7-minute read
Men's group near me: where to search, and what to expect when you get there
The seven places worth checking tonight, in the order most likely to turn something up, and what your first visit will actually be like.
This page is the local search. For what a men's group is, what a meeting looks like, what it costs, and our checked directory of 15 organizations you can join, start at men's groups: the directory and how they work.
The short version
There are real options near most men right now. Working through the seven places below takes about twenty minutes, and you can do it tonight.
- Start with the three networks that publish a searchable map: ManKind Project, EVRYMAN, and Men's Sheds.
- Then the local ones search engines miss: churches, the YMCA, veterans chapters, and Meetup sorted by last activity.
- Thin results don't mean nothing exists. Most groups near you have no website at all.
- Go three times before you decide. The first visit is awkward everywhere, and that tells you nothing.
If you typed "men's 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 places below are where these groups actually live, and working through them takes about twenty minutes.
If your search is going to run wider than your own town, our directories country by country covers the national locators for the US, UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Know which kind you're looking for before you start
Four kinds turn up in a local search, and knowing which one you want saves you from driving across town to something that was never a fit. Peer-led groups are the most common and usually free. Therapist-led groups follow a curriculum and cost money, typically $20 to $60 a session. Faith-based groups run through churches and are far more common than search results suggest, because most aren't listed anywhere. Online groups are the answer if you're rural, travel a lot, or can't get out easily.
The longer version of all four, including what happens inside a meeting and what each one costs, is on our men's groups page. If you're weighing a screen against a room, so is online vs. in-person men's groups.
Where to search right now
Seven places, in the order most likely to turn up something within driving distance of you. Every organization we've been able to check against its own website is collected on our men's group directory, with the ones that publish a location finder marked.
- 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 check on the phone before you drive over
You can save yourself an evening with two questions when you call: what does a typical meeting look like, and how long have the current men been coming? A group that can answer both in a sentence is worth the drive.
Worth going
- Fixed schedule: same day, same time, same place
- A format they can explain in two sentences
- Men who've been coming for six months or more
- A way to take part without performing on day one
Keep looking
- Every meeting improvised, no format at all
- Pressure to share deeply on the first visit
- The first conversation is about cost or membership tiers
- 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 you'll know in your gut whether these are men you'd want to keep coming back to. The fuller version of this, including the warning signs that only show up over a few months, is on the men's groups page.
Your first visit, hour by hour
Nearly every group opens with a check-in, where each man says a sentence or two about where he is that week. It isn't a therapy prompt. "Work's been busy and I'm glad to be here" is a complete answer, and nobody will push you past it on night one. After that a topic or a question opens the conversation, and the meeting closes with a quick round or a handshake. Our men's groups page walks through the full shape of a meeting if you want it minute by minute.
Two things worth knowing before you go. Don't leave the second the meeting ends, at least not the first few times: the ten minutes in the parking lot is where a lot of the actual connection happens. And you don't have to be going through something hard to belong there. Plenty of men show up in a rough patch, and plenty show up because life is basically fine and they want men around them to keep it that way.
If you can't find one nearby
You're not stuck. Every group listed on this page started with one man deciding it should exist and asking five or six others. No license, no budget, no charter. Our step-by-step guide to building a men's group covers the one-sentence purpose, who to invite and exactly what to say, and a 90-minute first meeting.
More men than you'd expect say yes when someone asks them directly. The asking is the part most men skip.
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.
What does a men's group cost, and is it the same as therapy?
Most peer-led groups are free or close to it, and no, a group isn't therapy and doesn't replace it if therapy is what you need. Both answers are covered properly on our men's groups page, which breaks down what each type charges, and on therapy for men. Wherever you land, be cautious about any group whose first conversation with you is about membership tiers.
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/