About Andrew P. Smiler, PhD

Andrew P. Smiler, PhD is an expert on issues related to boys, men, and masculinity. He is a speaker, author, and licensed therapist who has authored several books about men’s lives, including “Clinical Work with Men: Understanding Masculinity in Psychotherapy” 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 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 “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 Psychology of Men and Masculinities (SPSM). 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 currently serves as the chair of their Continuing Education committee (2022-present). Dr. Smiler has received SPMM awards for Clinician of the Year (2025), Distinguished Professional Service (2016), and Researcher of the Year award (2007). He is a past board president of Male Survivor: National Organization Against Male Sexual Victimization, where he also served as treasurer. Dr. Smiler has 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. He is a member of the Society for the Psychology of Men and Masculinities, the American Psychological Association, and the American Men’s Studies Association, and is a past member of the Society for Research on Adolescence and Male Survivor. To relax, he enjoys doing yoga, running (half-marathons!), and throwing darts.

Read more on Dr. Smiler's Linkedin profile.