Counseling persons of African descent : raising the bar of practitioner competence / [edited by] Thomas A. Parham.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Parham, Thomas A. (Thomas Anthony), 1954-

Series:

Multicultural aspects of counseling series ; v. 18.

Multicultural aspects of counseling series ; 18

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Mental health counseling.

African Americans--Counseling of.

African Americans.

Physical Description:

xxiii, 175 pages ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Thousand Oaks, Calif. : Sage Publications, [2002]

Summary:

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 the research attention.

Contents:

1. Counseling African Americans: The Current State of Affairs / Thomas A. Parham 1

Historical Overview 3

Assessment of Personal and Collective Debilitations 5

2. African-Centered Psychology: Basic Principles / Cheryl Grills 10

Basic Principles in African-Centered Psychology 12

3. Understanding African American Mental Health: The Necessity of New Conceptual Paradigms / Thomas A. Parham, William D. Parham 25

The Ethnicity Factor in Psychotherapy 27

New Conceptual Paradigms 30

4. Understanding Personality and How to Measure It / Thomas A. Parham 38

Culture 39

The African Personality 39

Internal Dimensions 40

External Dimensions 42

Assessing the African Personality 44

Alternate Conceptual Frameworks 47

Conceptual Scheme for Counseling African Descent Clients 48

5. Reconceptualizing the Notion of Self From the African Deep Structure / Ezemenari M. Obasi 52

African Philosophy 54

African Concept of the Person 57

The Study of Nature (Physics' Relation to African Psychology) 59

Four Questions 61

W[superset or implies] Aho[superset or implies]den: To Be Healthy 62

Healthy Aho[superset or implies]den (Energy) 66

Yare (To Be Sick)-Maafa Destructive Interference 69

Nya Aho[superset or implies]den (To Be Healed)

Reconstructive Interference 72

6. African-Centered Conceptualizations of Self and Consciousness: The Akan Model / Cheryl Grills, Martin Ajei 75

Akan Conceptualization of the Person and Consciousness 76

Ontological and Epistemological Tenets 76

Components of Self 79

Human Consciousness and the Significance of Sunsum 87

Clinical Relevance 90

7. Counseling Models for African Americans: The What and How of Counseling / Thomas A. Parham 100

The Role and Task of Helpers and Healers 101

Therapeutic Intervention 103

Connecting With Clients 107

Assessment 111

Facilitating Awareness 112

Setting Goals 115

Taking Action and Instigating Change 116

Feedback and Accountability 117

8. Counseling African American Fathers: A Program for Active Involvement / Michael Connor 119

Social Science and Black Men 121

Adolescent Fathers 123

Involved African American Fathers 125

The Program 127

9. Raising the Bar for What Passes as Competence / Thomas A. Parham 141

Raising the Bar for What Passes as Competence 142

The Circumference of Our Experience 142.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 154-163) and index.

ISBN:

0803953453

0803953461

OCLC:

48837562