Marriage and family therapists grapple with the intersection of societal influence and African American clients' presenting problems. Questions include: what impact has the historical trauma of slavery had on African Americans and what are the clinical implications of this trauma? This paper reviews the literature on the various residual effects of slavery (RES) within the African American community. A case vignette and a broad discussion of therapeutic techniques will be used to highlight the clinical implications of RES.

Using the lessons learned from mistakes made in their earlier clinical work with African American families, through the lens of Multicultural Counseling and Therapy theory, these culturally diverse practitioners use reflections from their counseling experiences to offer clinicians a people-responsive, diversity-sensitive framework and provide recommendations for working with African American families in school and community counseling settings.

The author provides a case study of Internal Family Systems model when providing therapy for an African American single mother who is working to heal with a female child who has been sexually abused. The author presents a format to challenge issues of power, privilege and oppression through the incorporation of Internal Family Systems therapy (IFS). She explores both the historical context and cultural implications for African American families who are surviving sexual abuse. This study provides implications for future research concerning the use of IFS to challenge issues related to oppression.

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