African Americans and Mental Health

Mary Olufunmilayo Adekson, PhD has authored two books and one book chapter. She has edited The Handbook of Counseling and Counselor Education and Beginning your Counseling Career: Graduate Preparation and Beyond, and also has edited the current volume, African Americans and Mental Health: Practical and Strategic Solutions to Barriers, Needs, and Challenges. Mary also has published numerous articles related to traditional healing and counseling to date. Mary obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, where she was also a visiting undergraduate student at Harvard University.  She got her Master of Education degree from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) in Ile-Ife, Nigeria, and obtained her doctoral degree in Counselor Education from Ohio University in Athens.  She was the program director of the Counselor Education Department at St. Bonaventure University in Allegany, New York, during the 2011 to 2012 academic year.  Mary retired from St. Bonaventure University as a tenured faculty member in June 2014.  She occasionally writes commentaries and articles on related aspects of indigenous healing and counseling in different journals.  Mary also writes Christian books to inspire, teach, and encourage young, old and newly converted believers in Christ.  She currently is the Chief Executive Officer of Faith Diversity Consulting.

About the Editor.- About the Contributors.- Book Body Matter.- Chapter 1:  Introduction:  Who Are African Americans?.- Chapter 2:  Identifying Barriers and Access to Mental Health Care for African American People.- Chapter 3: Challenges Mostly Unique to African Americans.- Chapter 4:  African American Mental Health: Challenges and Opportunities.- Chapter 5:  Mental Health Challenges Unique to African American Children and Adolescents.- Chapter 6:  Diagnosis Issues with African Americans.- Chapter 7:  Culture of Family Togetherness, Emotional Resilience, and Spiritual Lifestyles Inherent in African Americans from the Time of Slavery Until Now.- Chapter 8:  The Trauma of Being an African American in the 21st Century.- Chapter 9:  Training, Recruiting, and Retaining African American Mental Health Professionals.- Chapter 10:  The Mental Health Needs of Some Unique Groups Among African American Populations.- Chapter 11:  Roads for African Americans to Live Enhanced and Improved Mentally Healthy Lives.- Chapter 12:  Solutions-Oriented Intervention Models for African American Mental Health.- Chapter 13: Practical Strategic Improvements for African American Mental Health.- Chapter 14:  Treatment Strategies and Healing Related to African American Mental Health.- Book Back Matter.- Epilogue:  Where Do We Go from Here?.- Index.