Main description:

If clinicians are to be effective in helping the more than 45 million African Americans in the United States, they must be versed in the history, cultural context, and racial microagressions that both challenge and make this population resilient. Written in a conversational style that will appeal to clinicians and academics, this book provides a historical treatment of the cultural context of African Americans, as well as clinical treatment guidelines and practice-based, evidentiary approaches. It is based in attachment theory and emotionally focused therapy, and is contributed to by well-known and respected figures in the field of marriage and family therapy.

Contents:

Part I: The Cultural Context of African Americans 1. Understanding Emotion and Attachment in African American Relationships Dunham 2. How Racism Impacts African Americans: Then and Now Dixon & Boyd-Franklin 3. Family, Community, and Society Billingsley 4. The Healing Impact of Religion and Spirituality Dunham Part II: Emphasizing Emotion and Attachment when Working with African Americans 5. Emotionally Focused Therapy and African Americans Dunham & Woolley 6. Creating and Maintaining the Therapeutic Alliance with African Americans Dunham & Woolley 7. Special Issues in Accessing and Processing Emotions with African American Couples Dunham & Woolley 8. Restructuring Key Interactions In and Out of Session Dunham & Woolley 9. Utilizing Genograms to Explore Attachment Histories Sori Part III: Special Topics 10. Being White and Entering a Black World Dermer 11. Making the Invisible, Visible: African American Clinicians Working with African American Clients Helms 12. Gender and Sexuality Cook 13. Intercultural Couples Dunham 14. Expressing and Accepting Love Helm 15. Giving Grace: The Art of Forgiveness Olund 16. Implications for Training and Supervision Woolley & Dunham