Effective and Empowering Psychotherapy for Black Women: A Culturally Adapted Proposed Model

Abstract

Black women in the United States are a minoritized group that has experienced oppression and suffering explicitly targeting their intersectional and minority identities. The intensity and frequency of stressors result in a negative impact on Black women that prompts a need to cope. Rather than relying on professional mental health care, many Black women rely on their religious and spiritual communities and other cultural and historical methods to cope with stressors. As a field and profession, clinical psychology has been overwhelmingly dominated by White individuals. The profession has a rich history of developing and perpetuating oppressive systems that have ignored or caused significant harm to minoritized patients. In recent decades, the push for inclusivity and acknowledging diversity when practicing clinical interventions with clients has gained traction. Still, it fails to center the distinct psychological needs of Black women. The randomized control trials intended to investigate the efficacy of clinical interventions targeting Black women are limited. Some qualitative data have been collected to assess the perceptions of Black women concerning different clinical interventions and offer some recommendations for working with Black women. Still, a void in the clinical treatment of Black women needs to be addressed. This dissertation proposes a model framework for identifying and addressing the psychological dilemmas that impact Black women to promote culturally competent practice that considers sociopolitical, intrapsychic, and interpersonal concerns and empowers Black women