Main description:

Most research and couple therapy modalities tend to be normed on white European American couples and fail to include research on Black couples. This volume fills a void in the theory, research, and practice of couples therapy where clinicians have historically not been specifically trained to provide culturally responsive care when addressing the unique experiences and needs of Black couples. It aims to provide students, researchers, and allied mental health professionals with greater awareness, knowledge, and competency in working with Black couples. It assists therapists in developing a working alliance with Black couples and places an emphasis on cultivating environments that are instrumental to decreasing relationship distress and disconnection. Black Couples Therapy provides a comprehensive overview of the research and theory behind race and collective identity as well as romantic coupling, illustrated by examples of practice.

Contents:

Black Couples Therapy - Clinical Theory and Practice; 1. Internalized Stereotypes and the Impact on Black Couples Cynthia Chestnut; 2. The Role of the Strong Black Woman Schema on Black Love and Relationships Heather Lofton and Adia Gooden; 3. Black Same-Gender-Loving Male Couples' Health within an Afrocentric Psychological Paradigm: The Influences of Spirituality and Religion Jonathan Mathias Lassiter; 4. The Foundations for Strong and Healthy Relationships between Black Men and Women: Purposes, Practices and Processes Daryl M. Rowe and Sandra Lyons Rowe; 5. Pre-Marital Curriculum for African American Heterosexual Couples Erica Holmes, Ronecia Lark and Jessica Smedley; 6. Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) with Black Couples Yamonte Cooper; 7. How Trauma-Informed Therapists Can Effectively Incorporate Gottman Therapy into Their Work with African American Couples Satira Streeter; 8. Transcending the Binary: A Narrative Therapy Approach to Helping Black Trans Men Navigate Gender Transition with Romantic Partners Moe Brown; 9. Imago Therapy and the African American Couple Beverley Boothe; 10. African American Narratives of Trauma: An EMDR Approach to Tap into the Strengths of Black love Alice Shepard and Katherine McKay; 11. Sexual Intimacy in Black/African American Heterosexual Couple Relationships: Challenges and Opportunities Towards Relational Intimacy Danielle Drake and Daktari Hicks; 12. Sex, Intimacy and Desire in the African American Relationship Jeshana Johnson; 13. Wearing a Mask in Love: Implications for Covering and Infidelity in Black Relationships Laura Dupiton and Cynthia Chestnut; 14. Weathering the Storm: Fertility and the Black Lesbian Experience Tenika Jackson; 15. African American Men and Infertility Brian Humphrey; 16. Couples Therapy with Black American Couples Facing Medical Illness: Considerations for Treatment Lekeisha Sumner.