Volume_5_Issue_1_Digest

9 TPC Digest In order to understand the Black Church and the people who worship there, counselors must familiarize themselves with the historical context and theological underpinnings that frame the Church’s modes of operations and likely many individual parishioners’ help-seeking behaviors. This article provides an overview of the Black Church’s inception during slavery, its role in the Civil Rights Era and its relevance in the lives of many African Americans in the 21 st century. In order to understand current influences, counselors must grasp the historical role and relevance of the Black Church in the African American community. Further, it is theology that unites the collective Black Church but also differentiates between local congregations. Often, individual Black churches and denominations vary in theological principles, and therefore differ in how they execute beliefs about their purpose, roles and responsibilities. These overarching, guiding principles likely influence parishioners’ individual lives and their choices, including decisions regarding whether to seek help from professional counselors. Thus, this article provides an overview of the history and development of the Black Church, its theological foundations and how this information has important implications for counselors working with religious African American clients. Janeé R. Avent, NCC, is an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas-San Antonio. Craig S. Cashwell, NCC, is a Professor at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. Correspondence can be addressed to Janeé R. Avent, 501 César E. Chávez Blvd. DB 4.344, San Antonio, TX 78207, janee.avent@utsa.edu . Researchers, scholars and counseling practitioners have noted the differences in help- seeking behaviors among racial/ethnic minority clients. With African Americans in particular, researchers have attributed some of these differences to African Americans’ preference for seeking help from spiritual resources rather than professional counseling resources. However, less articulated in the literature are the rationales behind this preference. Often, within the counseling context, client spirituality is an important part of the healing process. There is substantial evidence that one’s religious life is a critical feature of the developmental process and can serve to improve one’s overall well-being. Further, researchers have found positive benefits to incorporating spirituality and faith into one’s life, including improved physical and psychological health. Therefore, counselors are expected to assess the impact of a client’s spirituality and religion on his or her mental health and overall well-being. Moreover, attending to the spiritual needs of clients is an essential part of developing culturally sensitive treatment plans and recommendations. As with other racial groups, spirituality has served as a source of support for many African American families as they have faced various challenges. These stressors include both systemic oppressions (e.g., overt racism) and familial stressors (e.g., parenting). Given these life stressors, perhaps spirituality and religion offer some explanation as to why African Americans are better adjusted than some experts expect and predict. Many African Americans have relied on their religion and spirituality during difficult life transitions. These coping strategies have proven effective in this community many times. Because of the salience of spirituality and religion in the experience of African Americans, particularly as it relates to their psychological health, it behooves professional counselors to increase their knowledge and awareness of the African American religious experience. Theology and Implications for Counseling African Americans The Black Church Janeé R. Avent, Craig S. Cashwell Read full article and references: Avent, J. R., & Cashwell, C. S. (2015). The Black church: Theology and Implications for Counseling African Americans. The Professional Counselor , 5 , 81–90, doi:10.15241/jra.5.1.81