Black Couples Therapy
Clinical Theory and Practice

Introduces research, theory, and practice of couples therapy with Black clients to help clinicians in providing culturally responsive care.

Yamonte Cooper (Edited by), Erica Holmes (Edited by)

9781009205658, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 10 August 2023

320 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 2 cm, 0.554 kg

'In this much needed book, a very knowledgeable group of authors speak cogently to the special factors involved in the relationships of Black couples, and offer wise guidance about therapy with Black couples. Black Couples Therapy approaches these subjects through a breadth of lenses, including the impact of racism, gender, sexuality, and sexual orientation. Further, it includes chapters about working with Black couples in the context of several of the most widely practiced couple therapies. This is an exemplary book through which every therapist or therapist in training can learn more about the Black couple experience and couple therapy. It should be in every mental health professional's library.' Jay Lebow, Northwestern University, Illinois

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.

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.

Subject Areas: Therapy & therapeutics [MMZ], Clinical psychology [MMJ], Mental health services [MBPK], Health psychology [MBNH9]