Jordan Shannon, E Mackenzie Shell, Jacoby Loury, Hannah B. Bayne
{"title":"Four theories to empower black men's existence: Meaning making in dehumanizing contexts","authors":"Jordan Shannon, E Mackenzie Shell, Jacoby Loury, Hannah B. Bayne","doi":"10.1002/johc.12228","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>Most theories used to explore existential realities of clients were developed and informed by White Eurocentric philosophers, who overlooked the impact of race and racism on identity. At a time when Black men continue to experience threats to their survival, such as through the epidemics of racial violence and health disparities of COVID-19, it is critical for professional counselors to appropriately incorporate racial and gendered perspectives into existential conceptualizations of client experience. In this paper, we identify four theoretical frameworks for clinicians to adopt in working with Black men's existential realities: Black existentialism, Black liberation narrative therapy, critical race theory, and radical healing psychotherapy. We locate these theories within the context of impacts from the dual pandemics of racial trauma and COVID-19, applying mini-vignettes to demonstrate how each theory can be responsive to the existential needs of Black men.</p>","PeriodicalId":45214,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Humanistic Counseling","volume":"63 2","pages":"89-105"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8000,"publicationDate":"2024-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Humanistic Counseling","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/johc.12228","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q4","JCRName":"PSYCHOLOGY, APPLIED","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Most theories used to explore existential realities of clients were developed and informed by White Eurocentric philosophers, who overlooked the impact of race and racism on identity. At a time when Black men continue to experience threats to their survival, such as through the epidemics of racial violence and health disparities of COVID-19, it is critical for professional counselors to appropriately incorporate racial and gendered perspectives into existential conceptualizations of client experience. In this paper, we identify four theoretical frameworks for clinicians to adopt in working with Black men's existential realities: Black existentialism, Black liberation narrative therapy, critical race theory, and radical healing psychotherapy. We locate these theories within the context of impacts from the dual pandemics of racial trauma and COVID-19, applying mini-vignettes to demonstrate how each theory can be responsive to the existential needs of Black men.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Humanistic Counseling (JHC) explores humanistic counseling and development and research and critical reviews emphasize innovative programs and practices to promote tolerance, nurture diversity, and uphold human rights.