ABSTRACT
Recent demographic reports indicate that approximately 35.4 million African-Americans are living in the United States. This represents almost 13% of the total U.S. population (Russell, 1998). This 35.4 million represents an 11% increase over the 30.8 million African-Americans who lived in the United States in 1991 (Locke, 1992) and a 33% increase over the 26.4 million African-Americans who resided in this country in 1980 (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1986). Given the multifaceted problems many African-Americans encounter as a result of being subjected to racism, poverty, and other forms of social and political disadvantages, it is incumbent on mental health professionals to seek ways of helping to promote the well-being of persons in this cultural/racial group (Parham, White, & Ajamu, 1999).
