African-American Cultural Issues in Therapy

In general, therapists are trained in theories that are represented as universally true and valid, but in fact such theories are based on the perspective of white, middle-class, heterosexual, Western males (Espin, 1993, p. 103). In order to overcome this bias, professionals in the therapeutic community are working to understand the dynamics of counseling men and women who come from different cultural backgrounds than those of the therapist. It is the purpose of this paper to explore issues relevant to therapy with African-Americans.

It is probably impossible to live in a racist society without some of those elements of racism influencing what takes place within the therapy relationship. Even if both the therapist and the client are of the same sex and social class, if there is a difference in race, the difference will have an influence, to some degree, on the nature of the therapeutic alliance (Espin, 1993, p. 105).

Black women are in need of empowerment. They wish to stringently avoid any psychological jargon that cleverly cloaks racism and instead acquire control over the circumstances of their own lives. Basic changes need to take place in the structure of society for this to be accomplished, but issues brought to the therapy room by Black women, often have to do with issues of individual power and control. There may not be enough money in the family household. Black men tend to have higher rates of unemployment and suf

. . .
rpower the Black race. Black clients may perceive the white person as an agent of the white race or the agency instead of an individual who is genuinely interested in being helpful. Trust is a major issue for Black clients. Their trust has been shattered by the experiences of slavery, loss of physical and economic freedom, and generations of racism and inequality of all kinds. African-American men are talented at behaving as if they are intimate when, in fact, they are quite closely guarding their most highly-prized inner secrets (Franklin, 1992, p. 351). Trust is an issue between Black men and women, as betrayal is a given for the culture. Trust in the African-American relationship between a man and a woman is often viewed in terms of his ability to hold a stable job, something that is often difficult due to an often restricted job market for Black males. African-American men may view white men as controlling access to power and opportunity, a mind set that makes it quite a challenge for a Black client to form a trusting relationship with a white male therapist. In general Blacks see the therapeutic process as one which exposes and weakens one into powerlessness, rather than an action which reinforces autonomy and greater
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
School Social, Issues Therapy, Berg Miller, Trust African-American, Sue Zane, Human Services, Counseling Psychologist, American Psychologist, Family Therapy, Health Journal, franklin 1992, black clients, black women, boynton 1987, espin 1993, african-american clients, black male, white middle-class, contemporary human services, journal contemporary, services pp, berg miller 1992, society journal contemporary, journal contemporary human, families society journal,
Approximate Word count = 1694
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)

More Essays on African-American Cultural Issues in Therapy