Summary: <p>Culturally responsive Service with African American Clients<br> Objectives</p> <p>~ African Americans or Blacks are people whose origins are “in any of the black racial groups of Africa”<br> ~ The term includes<br> ~ Descendants of African slaves brought to this country against their will<br> ~ More recent immigrants from Africa, the Caribbean, and South or Central America<br> ~ many individuals from these latter regions, if they come from Spanish-speaking cultural groups, identify primarily as Latino<br> Treatment Issues/Barriers<br> ~ African Americans are less likely than White Americans to receive treatment for anxiety and mood disorders<br> ~ African Americans are more likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia and less likely to be diagnosed with affective disorders than White Americans, even though multiple studies have found that rates of both disorders among these populations are comparable<br> ~ African Americans are about twice as likely to be diagnosed with a psychotic disorder as White Americans and more than three times as likely to be hospitalized for such disorders.<br> ~ For an overview of mental health across populations, refer to Mental Health United States, 2010 (SAMHSA 2012a).<br> Treatment Issues<br> ~ Blacks were much more likely to receive mental health services from general practitioners than from mental health specialists (Outreach)<br> ~ Were significantly more likely than White Americans to have an undetected co-occurring mental disorder, and, if detected, they were significantly less likely than White Americans or Latinos to receive treatment for that disorder<br> ~ African Americans are more likely to be referred to treatment from criminal justice settings rather than self-referred or referred by other sources<br> Treatment Issues/Barriers<br> ~ Lack of familiarity with the value and use of specialized behavioral health services may limit service use.<br> ~ An essential step in decreasing disparity in behavioral health services among African Americans involves using culturally sensitive instruments and evaluation tools<br> ~ African Americans were more likely than members of other major ethnic/racial groups to state that they lacked transportation to the program or that their insurance did not cover the cost of such treatment<br> ~ Longstanding suspicions regarding established healthcare institutions can also affect African Americans' participation in, attitudes toward, and outcomes after treatment<br> Treatment Issues/Barriers<br> ~ Attitudes toward psychological services appear to become more negative as psychological distress increases (Early intervention)<br> ~ In many African American communities, there is a persistent belief that social and treatment services try to impose White American values<br> ~ African Americans, even when receiving the same amount of services as White Americans, are less likely to be satisfied with those services</p> <p>Approaches<br> ~ African American clients generally respond better to an egalitarian and authentic relationship with counselors<br> ~ Request personal information gradually rather than attempting to gain information as quickly as possible<br> ~ Avoid information-gathering methods that clients could perceive as an interrogation<br> ~ Be willing to validate African American clients' experiences of racism and its reality in their lives<br> ~ Racism and discrimination can lead to feelings of anger, anxiety, or depression.<br> ~ These feelings are pervasive<br> ~ Counselors should explore with clients the psychological effects of racism and develop approaches to challenge internal negative messages that have been received or generated<br> 6 Core Principles<br> ~ Discussion of clients' issues should be framed in a context that recognizes the totality of life experiences faced by clients as African Americans.<br> ~ Equality is sought in the therapeutic counselor–client relationship, and coun</p>
