Full Description
Most research and couple therapy modalities tend to be normed on white European American couples and fail to include research on Black couples. This volume fills a void in the theory, research, and practice of couples therapy where clinicians have historically not been specifically trained to provide culturally responsive care when addressing the unique experiences and needs of Black couples. It aims to provide students, researchers, and allied mental health professionals with greater awareness, knowledge, and competency in working with Black couples. It assists therapists in developing a working alliance with Black couples and places an emphasis on cultivating environments that are instrumental to decreasing relationship distress and disconnection. Black Couples Therapy provides a comprehensive overview of the research and theory behind race and collective identity as well as romantic coupling, illustrated by examples of practice.
Contents
List of Figures; List of Tables; List of Contributors; Foreword by Kenneth V. Hardy; Acknowledgments; Introduction; Part I. Race, Racism, and Identity: 1. Internalized Stereotypes and the Impact on Black Couples Cynthia Chestnut; 2. The Role of the Strong Black Woman Schema in Black Love and Relationships Heather C. Lofton and Adia Gooden; 3. Black Same-Gender-Loving Male Couples' Health within an Afrocentric Psychological Paradigm: The Influences of Spirituality and Religion Jonathan Mathias Lassiter; Part II. Foundations for Healthy Coupling: 4. The Foundations for Strong and Healthy Relationships between Black Men and Women: Purposes, Practices, and Processes Daryl M. Rowe and Sandra Lyons Rowe; 5. Considerations for Premarital Counseling and Education for Dating and Engaged Heterosexual African American Couples Erica Holmes, Ronecia Lark and Jessica M. Smedley; Part III. Adapting Major Therapeutic Approaches for work with African American Couples: 6. Emotionally Focused Therapy with Black Couples Yamonte Cooper; 7. Use of the Gottman Method with African American Couples Impacted by Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome Satira Streeter Corbitt; 8. Transcending the Binary: A Narrative Therapy Approach to Work with Black Trans Men Navigating Gender Transition with Romantic Partners Moe A. Brown; 9. Imago Therapy and the African American Couple Beverley Boothe; 10. African American Narratives of Trauma: An EMDR Approach to Tapping into the Strengths of Black Love Alice Shepard and Katherine McKay; Part IV. Sex and Intimacy: 11. Sexual Intimacy in Black Heterosexual Couple Relationships: Challenges and Opportunities toward Relational Intimacy Danielle Y. Drake and Daktari Shari R. Hicks; 12. Intimacy, Desire, and Sex in the African American Relationships Jeshana Avent-Johnson; 13. Wearing a Mask in Love: Implications for Covering and Infidelity in Black Relationships Laura Dupiton and Cynthia Chestnut; Part V. Special Topics: 14. Weathering the Storm: Fertility and the Black Lesbian Experience Tenika L. Jackson; 15. African American Men and Infertility: Biopsychosocial Considerations Brian R. Humphrey; 16. Couples Therapy with Black American Couples Facing Medical Illness: Considerations for Treatment Lekeisha A. Sumner; Index.
