ABSTRACT
These young men present a unique set of challenges for clinicians working with them in individual counseling or other programmatic settings (Kortenkamp & Ehrle, 2002). These include the possibility of their having experienced traumatic events earlier in their lives, current (and often past) familial disruptions, ongoing conflicts family conflicts, and a variety of unresolved developmental problems (Halfon, Mendonca, & Berkowitz, 1995; Reams, 1999). The youth and their families also bring ongoing issues, such as conflicts between biological and custodial parents, familial estrangement, and instability in their current home settings. As we will see, layered on top of these structural issues, these youth face the challenge of developing healthy, Black male identities in a variety of social contexts.
