TPC Journal-Vol 9 Issue 3-FULL

182 The Professional Counselor | Volume 9, Issue 3 our findings might have differed if gender representation was more diverse. Although the data reached saturation, there may have been an opportunity to learn more about this phenomenon with an increased number of participants. An additional limitation is minimal participation ( n = 2) in member checking. Increased participation in this process might have challenged the research team’s perspectives and could have increased the overall trustworthiness of the findings. Conclusion The participants in our qualitative study identified six themes that highlight the essence of Christian African Americans’ experiences with using religious coping to respond to challenging life circumstances. These themes confirm existing literature by reiterating the importance of religious coping and the stigma that often exists in African American communities regarding seeking formal counseling services for their emotional and mental health. Counselors have a unique opportunity to use the religious coping practices of African Americans to strengthen the cultural relevance of treatment modalities and guide collaborations with community stakeholders and faith leaders. Conflict of Interest and Funding Disclosure The authors reported no conflict of interest or funding contributions for the development of this manuscript. References American Counseling Association. (2014). ACA code of ethics . Alexandria, VA: Author. American Psychiatric Association. (2017). Mental health disparities: African Americans . Retrieved from https:// www.psychiatry.org/File%20Library/Psychiatrists/Cultural-Competency/Mental-Health-Disparities/ Mental-Health-Facts-for-African-Americans.pdf Avent, J. R. (2016). This is my story, this is my song: Using A Musical Chronology and the Emerging Life Song with African Americans in spiritual bypass. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health , 11 , 39–51. doi:10.1080/15401383.2015.1056926 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 Avent, J. R., Cashwell, C. S., & Brown-Jeffy, S. (2015). African American pastors on mental health, coping, and help-seeking. Counseling and Values , 60 , 32–47. doi:10.1002/j.2161-007X.2015.00059.x Avent Harris, J. R., & Wong, C. D. (2018). African American college students, the Black Church, and counseling. Journal of College Counseling , 21 , 15–28. doi:10.1002/jocc.12084 Campbell, R. D., & Littleton, T. (2018). Mental health counselling in the Black American church: Reflections and recommendations from counsellors serving in a counselling ministry. Mental Health, Religion, & Culture , 21 , 336–352. doi:10.1080/13674676.2018.1494704 Cashwell, C. S., & Watts, R. E. (2010). The new ASERVIC competencies for addressing spiritual and religious issues in counseling. Counseling and Values , 55 , 2–5. doi:10.1002/j.2161-007X.2010.tb00018.x Chatters, L. M., Taylor, R. J., Jackson, J. S., & Lincoln, K. D. (2008). Religious coping among African Americans, Caribbean Blacks and Non-Hispanic Whites. Journal of Community Psychology , 36 , 371–386. doi:10.1002/jcop.20202 Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs. (2017). 2017 annual report . Alexandria, VA: Author.