Contours of the United States Residents of African Ancestry include multiple cultures:  Caribbean  Bermuda  Canada  South America  Africa  American

Principles to Guide Treatment of African American Women Longshore and colleagues (1998) suggested six core principles to guide the treatment of African American Women. These principles are as follows: Substance abuse dependence is conceived as an individual affliction and as a community disorder rooted in cultural and power disparities between African Americans and dominant white institutions The route of recovery is understood as a process that involves the acquisition of power in the forms of knowledge, spiritual insight, and community health Discussion of clients’ drug use is framed in a context that recognizes the totality of life experiences faced by the client as an African American in an unfriendly social/political environment An emphasis is placed on the importance of changing one’s environment not only for the good of the individual client but also for the greater good of the community A focus is placed on drug use alternatives that underscore personal rituals, cultural traditions, and spiritual well being Equality is sought in the therapeutic relationship between counselor and client; there is a de-emphasize on counselors being socially distant and nondisclosing.

A Poem “Realization” “Who am I? I’m an African American Woman What makes me strong? My heritage What makes me weak? My fears What makes me whole? My God What keeps me Standing? My faith What makes me compassionate? My selflessness What makes me honest? My Integrity What sustains my mind? My quest for knowledge What teaches me all lessons? My Mistakes What lifts my head high? My pride What if I can’t go on? Not an option What makes me victorious? My courage to climb What makes me beautiful? My everything What makes me a woman? My heart What empowers me? Me Who am I? I am an African American Woman” (Author unknown)

Trends of African American Behavioral Patterns 1. African-American Language – symbolic, highly affective, and given additional flexibility by considerable amount of highly meaningful body language. 2. Oral Patterns – importance of the oral or spoken communication. Oral communication remains the predominant means of information transmission within the African American community. 3. People orientation – Experiences are significant to the degree that they relate to people in some direct way. 4. Interaction vs. Reaction – interactional pattern of call-and-response characterized by a litany of sentences from the speaker and responses from the listeners. Dialogue is interactional. 5. African Thought – thinking and problem-solving which strongly relies on internal cues “hunches” “vibes” and reactions as a means of acquiring information and knowledge rather than external cues. 6. Spontaneity – the facility for easy, rapid adaptation to different situations. The capacity to respond quickly and appropriately to environmental changes.

- Spontaneous - Natural - Selfless - Rhythmic - Flexible - Serene - Unconditional Loving Trend Toward Congruence of Experience (oneness) Spiritual- known through extrasensory Material known through senses Transmitted through cultural rituals and symbolism process based in diunital logic interconnectedness - Extended Self - Interdependent - Familial - Spiritual - Collective - Communal - Faith undergrids - Contextually dependent - Resilient - Rationally Creative - Heterogeneous - Unity through ideology Group Oriented Traditional - Generous - Communal - Creative - Responsible - Religious - Industrious - Persistent Core Elements of African-American Culture Emotions “What We Feel” Knowledge “What We Know Self-Identity “Who We Are” Behavior “What We Do”