Counseling Persons of African Descent: Raising the Bar of Practitioner Competence / Edition 1

by Thomas A. Parham

Overview

Though important strides have been made in the last three decades in the research efforts on African Americans, there continues to be a lack of significant new understanding about the impact of the African American culture on the therapy process and dynamics. This volume provides an in-depth analysis of the counseling literature pertaining to African American clients. Specifically, the analysis includes a review of the different variables (client, counselor, counseling process, and assessment) that have received the bulk of research attention. This sets the stage for the presentation of a counseling model for African American clients. The authors discuss philosophical premises upon which the model is based and suggest specific counseling strategies and interventions related to the model. Case study material is integrated throughout the chapters, focusing on individual and group approaches.

This volume is an important work for counseling professionals as well as for students in social work and counseling programs.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780803953468
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	03/19/2002
Series:	Multicultural Aspects of Counseling series
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	200
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Thomas A. Parham, Ph.D.: Dr. Thomas A. Parham is Assistant Vice Chancellor for Counseling and Health Services and an adjunct faculty member at the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Parham is a Past President and Distinguished Psychologist of the National Association of Black Psychologists (ABPsi), a Past President of the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development (a division of ACA), and a Fellow in both the American Psychological Association, as well as ACA.

Table of Contents

Series Editor's Introduction - Paul B. Pedersen
Preface
Foreword - Asa G. Hilliard III-Nana Baffour Amankwatia II
1. Counseling African Americans: The Current State of Affairsz - Thomas A. Parham
2. African-Centered Psychology: Basic Principles - Cheryl Grills
3. Understanding African American Mental Health: The Necessity of New Conceptual Paradigms - Thomas A. Parham, William D. Parham
4. Understanding Personality and How to Measure It - Thomas A. Parham
5. Reconceptualizing the Notion of Self From the African Deep Structure - Ezemenari Obasi
6. African-Centered Conceptualizations of Self and Consciousness: The Akan Model - Cheryl Grills, Martin Ajei
7. Counseling Models for African Americans: The What and How of Counseling - Thomas A. Parham
8. Counseling African American Fathers: A Program for Active Involvement - Michael Connor
9. Raising the Bar for What Passes as Competence - Thomas A. Parham
Appendix
References
Index
About the Editor
About the Authors

Editorial Reviews

"Counseling Persons of African Descent represents a major breakthrough in scholarship on African American psychology. Thomas Parham and contributors present a candid critique of standard therapeutic practice, they provide a clear conceptualization of African-centered psychology and the African American experience, and they provide mental health professionals with specific clinical tools to enhance therapeutic practice with African American clients."

Joseph G. Ponterotto

Parham (U. of California at Irvine) presents an overview and analysis of the counseling literature related to African Americans and concludes with a new counseling model. The authors argue that attempts to effectively treat African American clients cannot be successful if these attempts rely solely on seasoning traditional Eurocentric theories and constructs with the cultural flavor of an African worldview. While no single worldview is articulated, contributors look at the ancient Kemetic worldview and the more historical Akan and Yoruba systems of belief in an effort to understand the personality dynamics of African Americans. Specific intervention strategies using the developed model are demonstrated for the population of African American fathers. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)