Cecil professor releases latest book

Published on February 20, 2020

Dr. Beckles holding his latest book.


NORTH EAST, Md. – Starting a conversation on a difficult topic is sometimes the hardest first step for an individual seeking help. The latest book by Wayne A. Beckles, Ed.D., is designed to be the tool that stimulates those conversations.

“The Boys Club: How Childhood Trauma Traps Some Men into Child-Like Behaviors” is the third book by Dr. Beckles, an Associate Professor of Social Work at Cecil College. It draws from Dr. Beckles’ more than 30 years of clinical practice where he worked predominantly with men, looking at adverse childhood experiences and how those led to some dysfunctional adult behavior.

The stories are not about a specific client, but composites of behaviors observed during his time as a clinical social worker in the prison system as well as out in the community.

“This book is meant as a conversation starter,” said Dr. Beckles. “It is ideal for workshops, church support groups for men, and in other aspects of society. To spark dialog by showing individuals that they are not alone and aren’t the only ones having these feelings. Hopefully, I can get this information to people earlier in the process where they can recognize the dysfunctional patterns and how those are producing damaging outcomes.”

This book is a series of eight vignettes, along with a chapter of Dr. Beckles’ reflections on client experiences. The material covers the detrimental damage to the family structure from the perspective of women who have been in relationships with, and the daughters of, these men, and how each dealt with that loved one who is an addict.

Dr. Beckles’ book acts as an invitation for men who get their lives back on the right track and it seeks to aid them in experiencing fulfillment in life. It offers a form of blueprint down the path to healing themselves and the family unit. He admits that while it is a tool to break ground in the healing process, the more in-depth work is done in therapy and the transformational experience that follows.

“The book is a good supplemental tool – the beginning of insight and an invitation to work with someone in a clinical setting. The impact this book creates is helping folks become aware of their behavior. People usually don’t look for help if they don’t know there is a problem. The more we have the conversations about men and men’s behavior, the more we can do to help people realize the correct path to making things better,” said Dr. Beckles, who found writing the book therapeutic.

Dr. Beckles “cut his clinical teeth” working in maximum security penal facilities where he witnessed the ugliness of human behavior. It was during this time that his first book, was inspired by the notion that men fail to communicate effectively within the family, leading to dysfunctions that destroy the family unit. That book focused on men being aware of their emotions and being able to express them in acceptable ways. That concept is carried over in his newest book.

“I have sons, and when I see connections in my own life on how I could have done things better, I want to make that insight available to them. I can have a conversation with them. This book is not just for my family but other families who have lived through similar experiences,” said Dr. Beckles.

Dr. Beckles completed his undergraduate work at Stony Brook University in New York and earned a Master of Arts from the University of Chicago before finishing his Ed.D. at Morgan State University. He currently lives in Bel Air, MD. His current book, “The Boys Club: How Childhood Trauma Traps Some Men into Child-Like Behaviors,” is published by Black Classic Press in Baltimore and is available for purchase on amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and lulu.com.