Real Cases With African American Clients: Reports of Racially Diverse Practitioners

Abstract

   martin Luther King Jr.'s (1968) plea in 1963 to let freedom ring "From the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire, the mighty mountains of New York, the heightening alleghenies of pennsylvania, the snowcapped Rockies of colorado, the curvaceous slopes of california, and the hills and molehills of mississippi" (p. 156) was a plea for respect, equal rights, and freedom for people of all creeds, colors, and religions all across this country. sadly, equity and equality for women and people of color are still not realized. sadly still, with all the progress made in education and counseling and psychotherapy, the inequities continue in the american higher education system and mental health system. despite the increase in multicultural research, african american clients and other clients of color are still not faring well with counseling services. in short, there continues to be a need to address the experiences of clients of color with counseling services.

Complexities of Informal Social Support Arrangements for Black Lesbian Couples

“…Clinicians should embrace the individuals' sexual orientation identity, the couple relationship, the children, and must be transparent about their own understanding of and appreciation of the role intersectionality plays in the lives of Black lesbian couples. This therapeutic direction of embracing identities goes beyond the general education on diverse family forms, multicultural competency, and a connection to personal challenges and biases that are required components of mental health professionals' training and experiences (Israel & Salvidge, 2003; Marbley et al, ). Therapists must create ways to project an awareness of racism, heterosexism, and sexism as well as, the intersection of how these may challenge Black lesbian families (Bepko & Johnson, 2000; Hardy, ).…”

Racial matching and adolescent self-disclosure of substance use and mental health symptoms

“…These factors, combined with a history of racial oppression, may contribute to a dynamic where minority clients may regularly underreport symptomology in substance use and mental health care settings (Marbley et al, 2007; Mensch & Kandel, 1988; Poston, Craine, & Atkinson, 1991). This study tests the impact of racial/ethnic matching of non-White ado-lescents to assessment staff on self-reported substance use and mental health symptoms, while controlling for the effects of perceived racism between matched and non-matched adolescents.…”