Psychotherapy and the Black Church: Helping Mental Health Professionals Understand the Spirituality of African Americans

Abstract

<p>The Black church has played an instrumental part in the lives of African Americans in the United States. The Black church continues to support the African American community by providing social, emotional, spiritual, temporal, and financial help. In recent years, both counseling and psychology fields have researched the importance of spirituality and its influence on the mental wellness of African Americans. Historically, the Black church has played a significant role in the improvement of education and an awareness of health and wellness in African American communities. Furthermore, the Black church has always and continues to be held in the highest esteem by African Americans. Though the Black church has played such a significant role in the life of African Americans there continues to be limited information on how mental health professionals can meet the needs of the Black church and its members. When wellness and mental health services are brought to the Black church members are likely to participate if endorsed by the minister and members of the congregation. The presentation will highlight spiritual and cultural practices such as prayer, faith healing, and gospel music and how these practices serve as coping strategies for Black church members when dealing with mental health issues. Furthermore, mental health providers will be provided with valuable information that maybe helpful in psychotherapy when working with African American clients and collaborating with the Black church. Further research is needed to examine the influence of the Black church, worship, and traditional mental health approaches on African American clients.</p><p>This presentation occurred at the Wright State University Campus-Wide Celebration of Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities on April 16, 2010</p>