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Counseling Religious African Americans: Implications For A Social Justice Model Of Intervention, Rachelle Delorse Smith

Dissertations

Due to a complex history of unethical societal and medical practices towards African Americans from U.S. institutions such as the U.S. Public Health Services and Johns Hopkins Hospital, a consistent lack of collaborative relationships between the African American religious community and the professional counseling community has emerged. Thus, some religious African Americans who may have needed counseling services did not receive them, as Black churches commonly dismiss the relevancy and necessity of professional counseling. The purpose of this theory-building study was to examine the perceptions that lead to such dismissals and, inspired by action research approaches, derive the best methods …