Traditional theories and models of counseling have been used for many years to provide a definite way that counselors and therapists can use to describe the behaviors of a particular group of people or a client. Different models of counseling are important in interpreting the feelings and thoughts of patients from the diagnosis stage to the post-treatment stage ( Carpenter-song, 2011 ). Even though traditional theories and models of counseling have been instrumental in helping various patients overcome their challenges, the same success has not been replicated in the interpretation of the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of African American students ( Murry et al., 2011) . This paper seeks to explain why the different traditional models of counseling have not been able to effectively work on African American students, especially those found in low-income areas.
Historical and Sociocultural Experiences of African American Students
Due to the historical injustices faced by African Americans since the days of slavery, it has been almost impossible for therapists to address some of the psychological challenges faced by the members of this cultural group. Most of the psychological challenges faced by African American have been inherited from those before them thus requiring therapists to address not only the problem at hand but also to dig deeper and establish the cause of their problems. Several sociocultural and historical experiences have made traditional theories and models of counseling underserve African American students. Fisher et l. observe that one of the cultural behavior among most African Americans is that they rarely seek professional help whenever they face health challenges such as mental illnesses unless it is extremely necessary (2014). Most of them first try out some of the home remedies, and if they fail to be successful, they may visit a health institution. The reluctance to visit healthcare institutions is also faced by the fact that healthcare costs in the United States are high and cannot be afforded by most of the African Americans.
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The sociocultural experiences of most African American students affect the way that they describe mental illnesses or other health challenges to healthcare professionals. Most therapists find it difficult to effectively use traditional theories of counseling on African American students due to the inability to identify the difference in symptom presentation across different cultures. Husky et al. (2012) note that while reporting mental illness, most African Americans focus on somatic symptoms instead of the emotional symptoms that they might have experienced. The historical experiences of most African Americans also affected the way they respond to traditional theories and models of counseling.
Various historical events have made many African Americans distrust the healthcare system in the United States. There have been instances where members of the African American community have been subjected to various experiments and studies that were harmful. One such example is the Tuskegee Syphilis study which further eroded the trust of most African Americans in the United States’ healthcare system ( Neighbors et al., 2011 ). The distrust has been passed down from one generation to another thus making it difficult for African American students to present any of the challenges that they face to therapists. Furthermore, since most African Americans with mental challenges have been sidelined in the past, many African American students are also reluctant to get help from therapists and counselors for fear of being sidelined by their community.
Despite the experiences, there have been improvements in the socio-cultural experiences of African Americans due to the increased democratic space and rights in the United States. The improvements have made most African Americans grow in wealth and knowledge thus being able to understand the importance of counseling in tackling mental challenges.
Challenges Faced by African American Students
There are many challenges faced by the members of the African American community. Despite the efforts of various institutions in the United States to improve the psychological health of minority communities, there is still a long way to go for the problem to be dealt with completely. According to the US HHS Office of Minority Health, African Americans are 20 percent more likely to experience mental distress compared to their racial groups in the country. African Americans that live below poverty levels are three times more likely to experience mental distress compared to those that live above the poverty line. It was also established that African Americans are more likely to experience sadness and depression compared to their white counterparts ( Chatters et al., 2017 ). The worrying statistics are as a result of various challenges faced by African Americans.
Institutionalized racism in the United States has made it difficult for African Americans with behavioral health issues to access quality healthcare. Poverty is also a major factor that prevents African Americans with psychological health issues from accessing assistance for their healthcare challenges. Despite the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, most African Americans are yet to be insured making it difficult for them to get medical assistance whenever they need it. Furthermore, the stigma against receiving treatment for mental health among African Americans has made it difficult for therapists to successfully address the mental challenges faced by the members of the group. Another challenge is the lack of representation and the lack of knowledge on the effects of race issues on mental health among physicians. It is estimated that African Americans make up around 2 percent of the American Psychological Association members and associates ( Rose et al., 2017 ). This means that most physicians lack the cultural competence required to understand the needs of the community.
Successes and Evidence of Resilience
Despite the challenges faced by African Americans, the community has shown signs of resilience as it has managed to surmount many of the challenges ( Flanagan et al ., 2017). According to Flanagan et al. (2017), he increased the literacy rate among African Americans has resulted in a significant increase in their number in different professions that they were underrepresented. Most African Americans have managed to break away from the cultural experiences that prevented them from seeking treatment for mental treatment. The number of African Americans seeking treatment for mental health issues continues to rise every year. There are also different ways that the community has ensured that it contains mental health issues. Support groups that exist in African American neighborhoods have particularly been instrumental in helping various people identify and overcome their mental health issues.
Conclusion
In summation, the state of mental health among most African Americans is as a result of various historical and sociocultural experiences that the community has gone through over the years. One of the cultural behavior among most African Americans is that they rarely seek professional help whenever they face health challenges such as mental illnesses unless it is extremely necessary. Most of them first try out some of the home remedies, and if they fail to be successful, they may visit a health institution. The reluctance to visit healthcare institutions is also faced by the fact that healthcare costs in the United States are high and cannot be afforded by most of the African Americans. Other challenges have also made it difficult for African Americans to overcome some of the mental health challenges that they face. It is therefore important for the relevant institutions in the country to come up with measures that will improve the success of traditional theories and models of counseling on African Americans.
References
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