Background Work stress and high job strain are linked to significant depression and anxiety in men. The literature points to the need for a greater focus on men's coping with occupational stress. There is a dearth of psychotherapeutic programs addressing issues of work stress in men. This article presents an Integrity Model perspective of occupational stress for men, with a focus on clinical interventions. Methods Through the use of three clinical vignettes, the Integrity Model – an existential model of psychotherapy examining the manner in which one honours one's personal values – is offered as a theoretical and therapeutic frame of reference for men to understand and resolve issues of significant work-related stress and burn-out. This model focuses on the importance of personal integrity, operationally defined as honesty, responsibility, and community, as a guide to daily living and addressing impasses and clashes between personal and organizational values. Conclusions This article provides clinical evidence for a therapeutic perspective that offers men who are grappling with occupational stress a philosophical and practical therapeutic working model validating their sense of honour, integrity and commitment to a responsible lifestyle as a means of developing a new resilience in addressing and resolving workplace impasses. It offers a new and valuing therapeutic perspective in reaching and assisting a wide range of men to deal with occupational stresses, addressing the literature's call for an approach that (a) works within men's own frameworks and (b) views men from a more positive, respectful and hopeful perspective.