Summary
As mental health professionals, it is imperative that we are equipped to meet the needs of all our clients. In this day and age, African Americans are seeking therapy like never before. The negative social stigma of seeking mental health services is being lifted. In an effort to respond to this change in the culture, non-African American clinicians must be ready to meet the needs of this unique population. During this education opportunity I will use self-assessments, case examples and review of research sources to show non-black clinicians methods to meet the mental health needs of African American clients. This education opportunity will focus on recognizing race based social constructs that affect therapeutic care and interventions; establishing mindfulness of any personal biases and developing a functional understanding of empowerment based therapeutic models.
Course Objectives:
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Objective 1:
Develop in-depth understanding and skill in recognizing race based social constructs that affect therapeutic care and interventions. -
Objective 2:
Increase mindfulness of any personal biases that have developed as “blind spots” regarding cultural competence and make a personal action plan to actively counteract previous “blind spots”. -
Objective 3:
Learn a functional understanding of empowerment based therapeutic models, specifically Motivational Interviewing, as a foundation for therapeutic interventions to build upon.
Keisha Carter-Brown, LCSW
Keisha Carter-Brown, LCSW has over 12 years of experience in direct practice providing therapy and social work services for diverse communities and primarily populations of color.
She specializes in empowerment based, solution focused mental health treatment and have practiced this type of treatment for the entirety of my mental health career.
Her education from Barry University School of Social work in Miami Florida, prepared her to take into account how societal and cultural characteristics play a part in how professionals effectively meet the needs of their clients. Her continued passion in the topic of advocacy for mental health care for African American clients has driven her to co-facilitate the Cultural Growth and Empowerment Group, where she facilitates discussions on the environmental and cultural events of African American clients and how to serve them ethically.
