Volume_4_Issue_1_Digest

TPC D igest 11 Angel Riddick Dowden, NCC, is an Assistant Professor at North Carolina A&T State University. Jessica Decuir Gunby is an Associate Professor at North Carolina State University. Jeffrey M. Warren, NCC, is an Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. Quintin Boston is an Assistant Professor at North Carolina A&T State University. Correspondence can be addressed to Angel Riddick Dowden, North Carolina A&T State University, 1601 E. Market Street, Proctor Hall-325, Greensboro, NC 27411, adowden@hotmail.com. T his research utilized a phenomenologi- cal approach to explore the concept of invisibility among African-American males. Invisibility is defined as an inner strug- gle with the feeling that one’s talents, abilities, personality and worth are not valued or even recognized because of prejudice and racism. Seven African-American males participated in semi-structured interviews to share their invisibility experiences. The data from the interviews were used to answer the following research questions: How do African-American men cope with invisibility experiences? What role might counselors play in helping African- American males cope with invisibility experi- ences? From the outset, this article uniquely pro- vides an overview of invisibility concepts by drawing from classic novels about the African- American experience such as Invisible Man and The Souls of Black Folk before utilizing nigrescence theory to describe the cultural and psychological experiences of African Ameri- cans in the United States. Additionally, both multicultural and humanistic theoretical per- spectives were used to present a philosophical framework that counselors must employ in or- der to effectively work with African-American males in counseling settings. Core qualitative concepts such as trustwor- thiness were used during the research to ensure A Phenomenological Analysis of Invisibility Among African-American Males: Implications for Clinical Practice and Client Retention – DIGEST Angel Riddick Dowden Jessica Decuir Gunby Jeffrey M. Warren Quintin Boston