Dubbo father of two David Hughes is calling on fellow dads to start leading their sons by example, showing them that it is ok to cry.
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"Men are often judged on their masculinity, so it can be difficult for fathers to start important conversations with their sons or to identify when their son may not be coping well emotionally," David said.
Because of this, both parties tend to remain mute, and emerging emotional issues are neglected.
"I am lucky enough that my son Rusty confides in me with how he is feeling. We work through situations together," He said.
"It's so important to me that my son's voice is always heard, and that he knows that it is ok to open up, ask for help and always to express how you're feeling."
According to David encouraging your son to open up to you will also strengthen your relationship with him.
"I value my time with Rusty, time spent talking, laughing and creating experiences."
Headspace Dubbo Community and Youth Engagement coordinator Amy Mines said the stigma surrounding men speaking out about can cause many fathers to be oblivious to the signs of struggling adolescents.
"For fathers and son's to be able to effectively communicate and support one another they first need to be able to identify and "name" emotions within themselves and then start to notice these in others, especially their children, in the case of our fathers," Ms Mines said.
"Once our men can identify these emotions and start naming them and articulating how they are feeling then we will have an environment where men can feel supported to work through their issues and concerns instead of bottling them all up.
"Men are often afraid to speak up, that it may in some way paint them as weak. We believe this to be the exact opposite of what is true. It takes great courage to speak up, and the more we can role model this for our young men, the sooner this will become normal and we will be able to have far more effective early intervention around mental health, saving lives and avoiding the long term impact on families and the broader community."
Headspace is accredited facilitators of a program called 'Tuning into Teens' which focuses on emotional intelligence and how to emotionally coach teenagers through the adolescent years.
The workshops have been put in place to educate and help guide fathers in coaching their sons, and they are a good starting point in making a change.
The next free seminar will be held on Thursday, May 16th, from 5.30-7pm at the headspace centre, led by Psychologist, Leigh Underwood.
