Trainee multicultural case conceptualization ability and couples therapy

Previous literature on the assessment of multicultural counseling competence has been concerned only with counselors' abilities when working with individual clients. We expanded this line of research by investigating trainees' multicultural case conceptualization ability in the context of working with couples. Despite the fact that trainees self-reported a high level of multicultural competency, trainees were largely inattentive to racial factors in their case conceptualization responses to vignettes involving both African American and European American clients presenting for couples therapy. On the whole, despite didactic, clinical, and extracurricular training in multiculturalism, marriage and family therapy trainees did not sufficiently incorporate cultural factors into their clinical case conceptualizations. We discuss implications for teaching, practice, and future research.     

AAMFT Master Series tapes: an analysis of the inclusion of feminist principles into family therapy practice

Content analysis of 23 American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Master Series tapes was used to determine how well feminist behaviors have been incorporated into "ideal" family therapy practice. Feminist behaviors were infrequent, being evident in fewer than 3% of time blocks in event sampling and 10 of 39 feminist behaviors of the Feminist Family Therapist Behavior Checklist. These eminent therapists most often dealt with empowerment of male clients and management of power differentials in the therapeutic relationship in a relatively feminist manner, but they tended to hold women responsible for family issues, endorsed traditional rather than egalitarian relationships, and overlooked how the social context affects families. Several of the therapists were blatantly sexist in their treatment of female clients, communicating disrespect of and pathologizing them. The few tapes portraying effective incorporation of feminist principles in family therapy indicate that a handful of behaviors are key to this approach.     

A Culture of Mutual Support: The Impact of Giving and Receiving of Practical and Emotional Support on African American Marital Satisfaction

Although the literature has discussed the extensive family network ties of African Americans and its implications for marital satisfaction, few studies incorporate primarily African American samples in studies of marital satisfaction and social networks. This study draws on a sample of African American married couples from the National Survey of American Life and explores the impact of mutual support, giving and receiving of practical and emotional support, on the marital satisfaction of husbands and wives. Results from the ordinal logistic regression analyses reveal that emotional support received from family and support given to friends are significantly related to husbands’ marital satisfaction whereas emotional support received from family and negative interaction with family contributes to wives’ marital satisfaction. Research and practice implications with African American married couples are discussed.     

Social isolation from extended family members and friends among African Americans: Findings from a national survey

This study investigated the correlates of objective social isolation from extended family members and friends among a national sample of African Americans. The analysis is based upon the African American subsample (n = 3,570) of the National Survey of American Life. The dependent variable examines four categories of respondents: 1) socially isolated from both family and friends, 2) socially isolated from friends only, 3) socially isolated from family only, and 4) not socially isolated. Overall, 23% of respondents indicated some degree of objective social isolation from family, friends or both groups, while the complementary 77% of the sample were not isolated from family or friends. Only 4% of respondents indicated being isolated from both family and friends. Multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed several gender, education, marital status and region differences. In particular, African American women were less likely to be socially isolated from family members than African American men. This finding was sustained even when controlling for differences in subjective isolation from family members, underscoring the protective effect of female gender. Study findings are discussed in relation to previous research on social isolation, as well as prior research on African American social support networks.     

Parallels Between Jungian and Black African Views on Dreams

This paper seeks to address the clinical difficulty of working psychodynamically with black African clients in South Africa. The paper explores the points of convergence and divergence between Jungian dream theory and black African dream theory. In many respects, these two frameworks are remarkably similar, suggesting that Jungian dream work could serve as a basis for psychodynamic therapy with black African clients. The author proposes that this dream work could bridge the historical gulf between white African (clinical social worker) and black African (client). Guidelines for cross-cultural dream analysis are suggested.     

DOES ACADEMIC TRAINING BACKGROUND MAKE A DIFFERENCE AMONG PRACTICING MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPISTS?

Using a national sample of practicing marriage and family therapists (MFTs) and their clients, this study investigated whether academic training background is associated with differences in pracice patterns and client outcomes. Clinical members of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy with academic training in psychology, social work, counseling, and marriage and family therapy were compared on a wide range of clinical practice variables, and their clients were surveyed about thier satisfaction and outcomes. Results showed highly similar practice patterns and client outcomes across all four disciplinary groups. Although the findings showed little evidence for the uniqueness of academic marriage and family therapy training among experienced MFTs, they also refute the notion that therapists trained in MFT degree programs practice in unusual or inferior ways compared to MFTs trained originally in other mental health disciplines.     

African American Therapists Working With African American Families: An Exploration of the Strengths Perspective in Treatment

With the exception of Hill's (1971, 1999) work, historically much of the literature on African American families has focused more on pathology than strengths. This study used interviews with 30 African American psychotherapists, self-identified as employing a strengths perspective with African American families, to investigate which strengths they identified in the families and how they use those strengths in therapy. Themes emerging from data analysis confirmed the continued importance of the five strengths Hill noted. In addition, two new strengths were identified by the participants: a willingness of a greater number of families to seek therapy, and the importance of family structure. Strategies used in engaging the families in therapy and practice implications for family therapists are discussed.     

Preface

Being raised by a single mother is one factor that has been suggested as contributing to the plight of African American males. Yet few studies have focused specifically on African American single mothers' experiences with raising sons. This qualitative study explored the following questions: (1) What are the experiences of African American single mothers in the raising of their sons? (2) What coping strategies do African American single mothers use in the raising of their sons? Two rounds of unstructured open-ended interviews were conducted with 11 African American single mothers of at least one son. Implications for family therapy based on the interviews are presented.     

Treating Suicidality in African American Adolescents with Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

Methods for preventing adolescent suicide are surveyed, and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is explored as a method for serving suicidal African American adolescents. Strengths, limitations, and compatibility of CBT with social work values are examined. Although CBT shows much promise in helping suicidal African American adolescents, research on the efficacy and effectiveness of CBT with this population is lacking. Suicide risk and protective factors and social inequities are evaluated as they relate to African American adolescents generally. In addition to relieving suicidal symptoms, CBT potentially could facilitate social liberation for this population.     

African American Women's Self-Concept: Implications for Career Decisions and Career Counseling

The multiple self-referent model (Brown-Collins & Sussewell, 1986) provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the personal, social, and historical aspects of self-concept formation in African American women and has important implications for understanding the complexity of career development issues for Black women. Excerpts from recorded interviews and autobiographical writings of four well-known African American women provide examples of the basic components of this model. Suggested interventions for career counseling with Black female clients are discussed.     

Ecologies of risk among African American girls in juvenile detention

• African American girls are disproportionately represented in juvenile detention, yet less is known about their distinctive and heterogeneous needs, especially regarding their psychosocial contexts. Latent class analysis determined four subgroups based on the adolescent ecology (neighborhood, family, peers) among detained African American girls ages 13–17 (N = 188). The Shielded class (32%) displayed the lowest levels of risk and highest levels of protective factors. The Typical class (24%) was close to the sample average on all indicators, with elevated histories of family incarceration. The Family Distress class (16%) reported the lowest neighborhood risk but was marked by high family risk levels and abuse history. The Highest Risk class (28%) had elevated risk on most indicators but particularly high neighborhood and peer risk. These classes significantly varied by youth social context and mental health. Findings bolster the need to consider the diverse, multidimensional contextual experiences of detained and at-risk African American girls.

     

Crisis management during "live" supervision: clinical and instructional matters

In this article, we illustrate two examples of "live" supervision with marriage and family therapy trainees whose clients presented in the therapy room in immediate crisis. The case examples, one a client with suicidal thoughts and the other a parent who had struck her child, demonstrate how the university-based therapy team managed the recursive clinical and supervision processes that unfolded during the sessions. We present the case examples from the perspective of both supervisees and supervisor, discussing how our different experiences of the supervision unfolded in real time. Case discussion and reflections later in the article illustrate the need for an open, transparent, dialogical process throughout supervision. A case is made for supervisory participants to create alternative formats in which multiple supervisory voices can be heard.     

The Black Family in the 21st Century and the Church as an Action System: A Macro Perspective

Abstract

The Black church has played a leadership function for African Americans during times of crisis such as slavery and the civil rights movement. This article suggests that the current crisis in the African American community is the disintegration of the African American family because of economic, social and value shifts, as well as misguided social policy. The Black church must again mount a spiritual and political campaign to save African American families, thereby ensuring their prosperity.     

Life Balance and Work Addiction Among African Americans

A dearth of counseling literature examines the experiences of people of color, including African American women and men, in relation to work–life balance. The authors, therefore, investigated the association between life‐balance domains and work addiction for African Americans. A multiple regression analysis of 115 African American participants (47 men, 68 women) indicated a significant relationship between life‐balance domains and work addiction. In particular, community support was an important indicator of decreased work addiction. Career counselors and mental health counselors need to develop an understanding of how extended familial and social networks assist African American clients in effectively managing work–life balance.     

The Influence of the Extended Family on the Involvement of Nonresident African American Fathers

This study investigates the extent to which the extended family provides support to African American nonresident fathers and its influence on their involvement with their children. The data for this study were collected from 278 African American nonresident fathers as a part of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study. The findings revealed that increased support from the child's paternal extended family was associated with higher levels of father involvement. However, increased support from the child's maternal extended family was associated with lower levels of father involvement. Implications for social work practice are included.     

A case study of an African American stepgrandmother raising adopted grandchildren

Research on the perspectives of older African American stepgrandparents raising adolescent grandchildren is underdeveloped. This case study research uses a culturally sensitive conceptual framework to explore the experiences of one African American stepgrandmother raising adopted grandchildren. The participant was identified in a larger study of older grandparents raising adolescent grandchildren. An in-depth, face-to-face interview was conducted in a public place. The themes described by this older African stepgrandmother included (1) strong family ties overlaid with family conflict and emotional difficulties, (2) traditional philosophies of parenting and childrearing that conflicted with her spouse, (3) reliance on a constellation of support including her religious community, and (4) recommendations for improving resource development. The findings of this case study identify critical issues for this older African American stepgrandmother. Although the findings are not meant to generalize, social workers and other helping professionals can benefit from the increased knowledge gained from this stepgrandmother’s experiences that can inform issues for exploration with similar caregivers.     

Introduction: Challenges to the homogenization of “African American”

African American sociologists are beginning to confront the use of African American/Black as a homogeneous sociological category. In doing so they are laying the ground for improvements in social scientific research in general. One aspect of that improvement involves the use of people of African descent as subjects for theoretical statements about humanity at large rather than merely about other African descendent populations. Another aspect involves confronting the extensive segregation within the discipline around the research done by African American scholars. This introduction discusses the implications of these issues for African American scholars and for the discipline as a whole.     

The last mile of the way: understanding caregiving in African American families at the end-of-life

This research is based on in-depth ethnographic interviews and focus groups with 88 African American family caregivers from various regions of the United States during a stressful time in their family development--caregiving at the end-of-life--and the grieving during the aftermath. The study employed a stratified purposeful sampling strategy. Subjects were African Americans from the Northern, Southern, and Midwestern United States. Formal care is complicated by the distrust that many African Americans hold toward the health care system, which has resulted from years of exclusion, racism and discrimination. The findings highlight the importance of hearing from African American families to gain an understanding of what services, including family therapy and other psychotherapy, they will need during this process.     

Kinship Support,Family Relations,and Psychological Adjustment Among Low‐Income African American Mothers and Adolescents

The association of kin social support with mothers' adjustment and family relations was assessed among 204 African American mothers and adolescents who were on average 14.45 years of age. Also examined was the association of mothers' adjustment with family relations and adolescents' adjustment. Findings revealed that kin social and emotional support was positively associated with mothers' optimism. Poor relations with kin were positively associated with mothers' depression. Kin advice and counseling and kin social and emotional support were positively linked to family routine. Poor relations with kin were positively associated with parent/adolescent communication problems. Mothers' optimism was positively associated with family routine and mediated the association of kin social and emotional support with family routine. Parent/adolescent communication problems were positively associated with adolescents' depression. The findings were discussed in light of their support for theoretical and empirical work on family processes among poor African American families.