The gospel brings liberty to men, women, and children bound by every conceivable sin and affliction. Psychology provides a tool for applying the power of the gospel in practical ways. Drawing on biblical truths and psychological principles, Counseling in African-American Communities helps us---Christian counselors, pastors, and church leaders---to meet the deep needs of our communities with life-changing effect. Marshaling the knowledge and experience of experts in the areas of addiction, family issues, mental health, and other critical issues, this no-nonsense handbook supplies distinctively African-American insights on the problems tearing lives and families apart all around us: Domestic Abuse Gambling Addiction Blended Families Sexual Addiction and the Internet Depression and Bipolar Disorder Divorce Recovery Unemployment Sexual Abuse and Incest Demonology Grief and Loss Schizophrenia Substance Abuse . . . and much more

The gospel brings liberty to men, women, and children bound by every conceivable sin and affliction. Psychology provides a tool for applying the power of the gospel in practical ways. Drawing on biblical truths and psychological principles, Counseling in African-American Communities helps us—Christian counselors, pastors, and church leaders—to meet the deep needs of our communities with life-changing effect.Marshaling the knowledge and experience of experts in the areas of addiction, family issues, mental health, and other critical issues, this no-nonsense handbook supplies distinctively African-American insights on the problems tearing lives and families apart all around us:Domestic AbuseGambling AddictionBlended FamiliesSexual Addiction and the InternetDepression and Bipolar DisorderDivorce RecoveryUnemploymentSexual Abuse and IncestDemonologyGrief and LossSchizophreniaSubstance Abuse . . . and much more

This book enumerates the unique challenges, barriers, needs, and trauma of being an African American in the United States, and at the same time highlights what needs to be done to improve and foster the mental health healing of this population. This includes practical applications and strategic solutions that work, such as the family togetherness and ardent spiritual beliefs that form the basis for resilient and vibrant mental health among African Americans. This contributed volume features the authorship of counseling professionals, most of whom are African American themselves. Because of their own personal experiences, they are able to emphasize cogent helping strategies for this population, to show how to move forward with encouragement. The book also highlights ways to promote life that is mentally healthy and holistic for African Americans. Topics covered within the chapters include: Mental Health Challenges Unique to African American Children and Adolescents Diagnosis Issues with African Americans Culture of Family Togetherness, Emotional Resilience, and Spiritual Lifestyles Inherent in African Americans from the Time of Slavery Until Now The Trauma of Being an African American in the 21st Century Training, Recruiting, and Retaining African American Mental Health Professionals African Americans and Mental Health: Practical and Strategic Solutions to Barriers, Needs, and Challenges is an essential resource for helping professionals who work with this population, including psychiatrists, counselors, psychologists, social workers, and other mental health professionals. The book also should be of interest to researchers, instructors, and students in Counseling, Social Work, and Psychology.

The black community is often thought of as an ongoing saga of reliance, incredible strength, and perseverance, in spite of a brutally harsh past. However, the obvious connection between mental health and racial oppression, health disparities, cultural differences, societal factors, poverty, and reduced quality of life, often goes unspoken. Thousands of black people are suffering in the shadows while making every attempt to be seen. Although there is no single narrative, mental health and psychosocial wellness underpin many of the challenges experienced by black people. Black Therapists Rock has become a movement that is passionate about loudly speaking our varied truths to begin the healing of emotional wounds that are multiple generations deep. Although we may not be the cause of this deep-seated pain, it is ours to bear and soothe. The professional perspectives shared in this book strive to inspire hope, beyond the divorce courts, housing developments, emergency rooms, domestic violence shelters, broken homes, jails/prisons, homeless centers, welfare offices, or foster care systems. NONE of us are immune. Statistically, we all have at least one relative that has experienced one or more of these situations. And now, with our #villagementality, we can offer an honest and true source of healing; with compassion, forgiveness and genuine connection for ourselves and others.

This volume advances a uniquely Afro-centric, sociocultural understanding of health maintenance and risk reduction in African cultural heritage populations. It unites a diverse group of leading African and Africanist scholars in an exploration of common cultural values in African heritage communities and their practical applications in contemporary counseling. The chapters highlight the prominent health issues faced in Africanist settings today and use real-world experiences to illustrate core lessons for effective community action. The approach spans complex cultural milieus, from diversity counseling to conflict resolution. Each chapter includes field-based experiential tasks, discussion boxes, research boxes and case studies, which serve as valuable resources in both coursework and casework. Counseling People of African Ancestry is an essential primer for community health workers, counselors and educators seeking a better understanding of African cultural heritage settings to promote community health, well-being and development.

Though important strides have been made in the last three decades in the research efforts on African Americans, there continues to be a lack of significant new understanding about the impact of the African American culture on the therapy process and dynamics. This volume provides an in-depth analysis of the counseling literature pertaining to African American clients. Specifically, the analysis includes a review of the different variables (client, counselor, counseling process, and assessment) that have received the bulk of research attention. This sets the stage for the presentation of a counseling model for African American clients. The authors discuss philosophical premises upon which the model is based and suggest specific counseling strategies and interventions related to the model. Case study material is integrated throughout the chapters, focusing on individual and group approaches. This volume is an important work for counseling professionals as well as for students in social work and counseling programs.

Important questions face any pastoral counselor when working with African American couples and families. Edward Wimberly focuses on the religious worldview that African Americans bring to their understanding of marriage and family, so that the counselor can learn the assumptions behind the presenting problems. Wimberly's treatment examines the social context of African American families, the separate issues for men and women, intergenerational factors, the impact of the life cycle, sexuality, affairs, and abuse. This wide-ranging book is exceptionally practical for all pastoral caregivers. The purpose of the Counseling and Pastoral Theology series is to address clinical issues that arise among particular populations currently neglected in the literature on pastoral care and counseling. This series is committed to enhancing both the theoretical base and the clinical expertise of pastoral caregivers by providing a pastoral theological paradigm that will inform both assessment and intervention with persons in these specific populations.

The United States is experiencing a dramatic shift in demographics, with minorities comprising a rapidly growing proportion of the population. It is anticipated that this will likely lead to substantial changes in previously established values, needs, and priorities of the population, including health and mental health for individuals, families, and society at large. This volume focuses on determinants of minority mental health and wellness. This emphasis necessarily raises the question of just who is a minority and how is minority to be defined. The term has been defined in any number of ways. Wirth (1945, p. 347) offered one of the earliest definitions of minority: We may define a minority as a group of people who, because of their physical or cultural characteristics, are singled out from the others in the society in which they live for differential and unequal treatment, and who therefore regard themselves as objects of collective discrimination. The existence of a minority in a society implies the existence of a corresponding dominant group enjoying higher social status and greater privileges.

This classic text helps professionals and students understand and address cultural and racial issues in therapy with African American clients. Leading family therapist Nancy Boyd-Franklin explores the problems and challenges facing African American communities at different socioeconomic levels, expands major therapeutic concepts and models to be more relevant to the experiences of African American families and individuals, and outlines an empowerment-based, multisystemic approach to helping clients mobilize cultural and personal resources for change.