ABOUT
Andrew P. Smiler is an expert on issues related to boys, men, and masculinity. He is a speaker, author, and licensed therapist who has authored four books about men’s lives, including “Is Masculinity Toxic?: A Primer for the 21st Century” and the award-winning “Dating and Sex: A Guide for the 21st Century Teen Boy.” Dr. Smiler is also the lead author of the best-selling textbook “The Masculine Self (7th ed.)” which is designed for use in undergraduate courses such as Psychology of Men or Introduction to Men’s Studies. Dr. Smiler’s therapeutic approach is illustrated in the training video “Building a Therapeutic Alliance with Adolescent Boys.”
Dr. Smiler is the author of more than 20 peer-reviewed academic articles. His academic research focused on two issues: definitions of masculinity and normative aspects of male dating and sexual development. The first research line explored definitions of masculinity and his perspective is detailed in the recently published “Multi-Faceted Masculinity Framework: A Multifaceted Organizing Framework”. Dr. Smiler’s review of psychological measures of masculinity, “Thirty Years After the Discovery of Gender”, is among the twenty most cited articles in the journal Sex Roles. His second research line explored normative aspects of boys’ dating and sexual development and lead to the publication of two books, “Challenging Casanova: Beyond the Stereotype of the Promiscuous Young Male” and the award-winning “Dating and Sex: A Guide for the 21st Century Teen Boy.”
Dr. Smiler is a past president of the Society for the Psychological Study of Men and Masculinities (SPSMM), and has received their Distinguished Professional Service award (2016) and Researcher of the Year award (2007). He has also served as their chair of Communications and Media committee (2014-2016), is a co-founder and co-chair of their Task Force on Boys in School (2020-present), and serves as the chair of their Continuing Education committee (2022-present). He is a past president of Male Survivor: National Organization Against Male Sexual Victimization, where he also served as treasurer. Dr. Smiler also served as the Editor-in-Chief of Online Publications for the Society for Research on Adolescence (2017-2020).
As a therapist, Dr. Smiler helps teenage boys and adult men understand themselves and find better ways to communicate with the important people in their life. In addition to issues such as depression, anxiety, attention deficits (ADD/ADHD) and family conflict, he also works with clients around issues related to gender identity, sexual orientation, and other issues related to sexuality. He conducts both individual therapy and family therapy.
Dr. Smiler received his PhD in Developmental Psychology from the University of New Hampshire, an MA in Clinical Psychology from Towson University, and BS degrees in both Psychology and Mathematics from Virginia Tech.
Professional Organizations
The Society for the Psychology of Men and Masculinity
- President (2011), Director of Communication and Media (2015-2017), Co-Chair Task Force on Boys in School (2020-present), Chair Continuing Education (2022-present)
- Distinguished Professional Service award (2016)
- Researcher of the Year (2007)
- Board Treasurer (2018)
- Board President (2017)
- Member, Board of Directors (2015-2018)
The Society for Research on Adolescence
- Editor in Chief, Online Publications (2017-2020)