Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development最新文献

This study examined the effects of school counseling college-going culture (SCCGC) on Black male students’ college outcomes using a sample from the High School Longitudinal Study, and whether these effects differed for males versus females. Regression analyses revealed that different aspects of SCCGC were more salient for Black males compared to Black females. For example, counselor expectations appeared more important for males and school connectedness for females suggesting the dangers of a one-size-fits-all approach to college going.

The characterizations of Blackness and maleness are stark and pervasive throughout the theoretical and scientific literature. Too often, Black males occupy a vicarious and distinctive position in American society. The depictions of Black males are rarely casted in a positive manner. Instead, an overpowering image of incompetence, unintelligence, complacency, and propensity to result to violence consumes the livelihood of Black males in the United States. Thus, despite these perceptions, they have been resilient, successful, and stubbornly resistant to negative typecasts. Moreover, there has to be a better awareness and understanding of the educational challenges and psychological and social struggles that Black males endure as “they define who they are, build and maintain relationships, cope with racism, and search for strengths in the African American way of being”. Further, more research is needed to better support Black males in clinical, community, and school settings. This special issue on the Black male experience is a step in this direction. To that end, the Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development (JMCD) presents five theoretical, qualitative, and quantitative articles focusing specifically on the Black male experiences in both clinical and educational contexts. Each article, in its own way, amplifies the importance of culturally responsive approaches.

Since its inception, the Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development (JMCD) has served as a platform to focus on high-quality research studies, ideas, and innovations that addressed the lived experiences of racial and ethnic minority populations (Gunnings, 1972). However, the time has come for the counseling profession to place the mental health and educational needs (and realities) of African American men, fathers, and boys at the forefront of the multicultural counseling discussion. Since the beginning of the contemporary social movement of Black Lives Matter prompted by the shootings of unarmed African Americans, there have been numerous position statements, journal articles, and conference presentations denouncing anti-Black racism. Yet, in 2023, Black men and boys are still being surveilled, profiled, and gunned down by the police and civilians, while their educational, mental, and physical health needs, wants, and desires are largely ignored by mental health and education professionals.

How we think about Black men is how we respond to them (Johnson, 2006). Research has primarily focused on the “absence” instead of the “presence” of African American fathers (Conner & White, 2011), “deficits” verses the “achievements” of Black male youth’’ (Stevenson, 2014), and “criminality” instead of the “strengths and overall wellness” of Black men (e.g., Akbar, 2017; Alford, 2022; Johnson, 2016). According to Johnson (2016) and Tovar-Murray (2021), educators and helping professionals need to look beyond clinical symptoms and behavioral concerns to truly value and support the inner lives of African American males. This special issue showcases the ways in which African American scholars and their research teams examine the experiences of African American males in relation to their educational attainment, mental health treatment, and the roles they play in the lives of African American youth.

The guest editors for this dynamic special issue are Dr. Isaac Burt, Dr. Erik M. Hines, and Dr. James L. Moore III. They bring depth and breadth to this current discussion and have published a combined total of 260 book chapters, special issues, and refereed journal articles in the fields of counseling and education. Dr. Burt is an Associate Professor in the counselor education program at Johns Hopkins University. He completed his Doctor of Philosophy in counselor education at the University of Central Florida. Dr. Burt has 20 years’ counseling experience in schools and mental health agency settings with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) populations. His research focuses on integrating scientific principles with multiculturalism, and examining neuroscience-infused strategies to buffer against racism and discrimination. Dr. Burt has published in the areas of multicultural group work, neuroscience-inte

Given the increasing rate of military service members who experience mental health issues during reintegration into civilian culture, the need for counselors who specialize in postdeployment reintegration practices for Black men persists. Moreover, a nuanced approach to understanding how best to provide culturally competent support in therapeutic contexts for Black male veterans, a psychologically vulnerable population due to historical experiences of oppression and discrimination, is worthy of additional consideration. This study explored the impact of Black U.S. men's (N = 94) racial and military identities on postdeployment reintegration. Results indicated a significant predictive relationship between Black racial identity, military identity, and postdeployment reintegration. Practical implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Attention toward how technology may be used to perpetuate racism is warranted given the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. We examined cyberspaces associated with the counseling profession to estimate the prevalence and impact of cyber racism using a cross-sectional design. Results indicated that exposure to cyber racism may impact emotions and perceived inclusion in groups.

This study examined the role of cognitive flexibility and collective coping in the relationship between adult attachment and life satisfaction while comparing Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC; n = 187) and White (n = 135) groups. Result showed that the relationship between attachment anxiety and life satisfaction was mediated via cognitive flexibility and collective coping only in the BIPOC group. This study informs culturally responsive attachment-based counseling and advances literature from a decolonial perspective.

The authors used a qualitative research method to examine experiences of cultural insensitivity and their influences on professional identity among 13 international counselor education students. Participants described experiencing discrimination and how these experiences pushed them to incorporate advocacy into their professional identities. Participants also described the impact of discrimination on their cultural identities and the lack of global perspectives in mental health professions. Implications for counselor education are discussed.

With the recent proliferation of neuroscience-backed literature in counseling, the lack of connection to multiculturalism is disquieting. The critique is that there is a dearth on the application of neuroscience with clients of color, specifically Black populations. This article provides a critique of neuroscience and its implications and applicability for Black populations. The rationale for the specificity was to give counselors a concrete method to apply with an underserved populace, coupled with specific clinical considerations/guidelines.

Historically, stigma and help-seeking intentions are largely seen as determinants on whether an individual uses professional counseling services. These constructs, however, have been understudied in African American men. Adopting a humanistic approach, this study revealed how the overarching constructs of stigma and help-seeking intentions predicted whether African American men sought counseling. Logistic regression analyses of African American men (N = 119) confirmed stigma and help-seeking intentions as predictors of counseling.