Black American’s Strengths-Based Cultural Practices

Robert T. Carter, Ph.D. is professor emeritus of Psychology and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University.Alex L. Pieterse, PhD is an associate professor and director of the Institute for the Study of Race and Culture at Boston College.Jessica M. Forsyth, PhD is a licensed psychologist and senior associate at Robert T. Carter & Associates, an expert witness practice specializing in the assessment of racial trauma, where she has consulted on a variety of civil and criminal cases for 15 years.

• Chapter 1 - The State of Black America Chapter 2 - The State of Black Americans’ Mental Health Chapter 3 - Black American Culture and the Debate about What it is or is Not Chapter 4 - Digging Deeper into Black Americans’ African Cultural Legacy: Reference Group Identity and SocializationChapter 5 - Black American Cultural Legacy: Parents and Community Teaching About RaceChapter 6 - The Community and its Value Chapter 7 - Cultural Spirituality and Racism-Related Coping Chapter 8 - Review of the Black Cultural Strengths Clinical and Research literature Chapter 9 - Clinical Considerations in the Application of Black American Cultural Strengths to Mental Health CareChapter 10 - Applications of Black American Cultural Strengths in Counseling and Psychotherapy: A Case IllustrationChapter 11 - Employing Black American Cultural Values: Training Guidelines for Mental Health ProfessionalsChapter 12 - Emerging Issues for Mental Health Policy and Services for Black Americans

Black Americans' Strengths-Based Cultural Practices: Tools for Clinicians to Promote Psychological Well-Being is destined to become a must read for mental health professionals, graduate students, and professors alike. Carter, Pieterse, and Forsyth offer clear definitions of each cultural strength, the research on their historical roots in the African diaspora, as well as the evidence base for their contribution to healthy psychological development and mental health maintenance for Black Americans.Treniece Lewis Harris, PhD, associate professor, program director, master in Mental Health Counseling Program, Department of Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology, Boston CollegeBlack American’s Strengths-Based Cultural Practices: Tools for Clinicians to Promote Psychological Well-Being advances our knowledge about the critical role of Black culture in contributing to the psychological well-being and resilience for people of African descent. This book examines how Black racial identity, racial socialization, coping with racism, communalism, and cultural spirituality serve as central positive social and psychological frameworks for Black people and communities.Leo Wilton, Ph.D., MPH, professor, State University of New York at Binghamton, Department of Human DevelopmentBlack psychology experts Robert T. Carter, Alex L. Pieterse, and Jessica M. Forsyth deliver a masterful, deeply researched, and timely exploration of the psychological wellbeing of Black American clients. Drawing from decades of groundbreaking work, this remarkable volume offers a rare and comprehensive look at the historical, cultural, and structural forces that shape Black American mental health, from the era before slavery to the present day.Helen A. Neville, professor of Educational Psychology and African American Studies, past-president at the Society of Counseling Psychology (APA, Division 17), and past-president at the Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity and Race (APA, Division 45), 2019.