"Nancy Boyd-Franklin has long been a leading voice on the experience of African American families. In this new edition of her groundbreaking clinical text, she expands and deepens our understanding of the diverse backgrounds and complex challenges of Black families in our society, illuminating the strengths that therapists can tap into. This is invaluable reading for students and practitioners in mental health and social service fields."—Froma Walsh, PhD, School of Social Service Administration, Department of Psychiatry, and Center for Family Health, University of Chicago
"Black Families in Therapy, Second Edition, will doubtless become a classic. It is well organized; written in clear, understandable language; draws on a wealth of information from diverse disciplines; and covers a number of important new topics. Among the book's outstanding features is its incisive narrative style, in which major concepts, principles and therapeutic approaches are highlighted with vivid case examples and vignettes. This is an excellent text for upper-division undergraduate and graduate courses addressing Black family life, African American psychology, multiethnic family therapy, cross-cultural psychology, pastoral counseling, and related topics."—Joseph L. White, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Psychiatry, University of California, Irvine
"With the initial publication of this text, Nancy Boyd-Franklin broke new ground and set a high standard for research, teaching, and therapeutic practice with African American families. The new second edition is yet another pace-setting gift to the field. Some books are designed to fill a crucial gap on the reference shelf. Others are useful as textbooks for students in family studies, counseling, psychology, psychiatry, and even sociology. Still others function best as working manuals for practitioners. Black Families in Therapy, Second Edition, will surely serve all these functions while moving to the head of the line of readable, provocative, and insightful works in this area."—Andrew Billingsley, PhD, African American Studies Program and The Institute for Families and Society, University of South Carolina
"This impressive second edition draws on more than a decade of new research and clinical experience to enrich and expand a classic text. No one in the mental health field can afford to be without this basic primer for understanding and working with African Americans. Dr. Boyd-Franklin has always had a remarkable ability to combine theory and practical application. Written with clarity, insight, and creativity, the book is full of concrete information and case examples, while at the same time providing a strong understanding of the historical context and the evolving political realities of African American families. It also does an amazing job of dispelling persistent, pejorative myths in this essential clinical area. This book should be required reading for every psychotherapist, counselor, educator, social worker, and human service professional."—Monica McGoldrick, LCSW, PhD (h.c.), Multicultural Family Institute, Highland Park, New Jersey
"Many scholars write about characteristics of African American families, but no one else does so with the empathy and sensitivity that characterize Nancy Boyd-Franklin's second edition of Black Families in Therapy. Dr. Boyd-Franklin describes the complexities of African American families with respect to ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and skin color, to highlight but a few of the new and/or expanded themes that give substance to this edition. The case examples throughout the book are extremely useful for helping the reader to 'see' the dynamic interplay among such factors within the family system, as well as the societal contexts in which family members function. Dr. Boyd-Franklin's discussion of therapist ethnicity as an aspect of therapy addresses the often-asked question of whether only Black therapists can work effectively with Black families. Any therapist or therapist in training who intends to deliver race- and culture-sensitive services to African American families should consider this book required reading."—Janet E. Helms, PhD, Department of Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology, and Institute for the Study and Promotion of Race and Culture, Boston College
Reviewer: Gary B Kaniuk, PsyD (Cermak Health Services)
Description: This the second edition of a book discusses the various aspects of dealing with African American clients, especially from a family perspective. The first edition was published in 1989.
Purpose: According to the author, "in this second edition, I have kept and updated the most important elements of the first edition, while significantly expanding into many important new areas. The last decade has brought major changes in legislation and public policy initiatives that have directly impacted the lives of many African American families." The book definitely meets the author's objectives.
Audience: According to the publisher, ..."this classic text helps professionals and students understand and address cultural and racial issues in therapy with African American clients." The author, a prominent African American family therapist, author/editor of many books, and professor at Rutgers University, is a very credible authority. If one wants to learn about African American culture and therapy, one must read her work.
Features: The book covers many important areas including cultural and racial context, major treatment theories and interventions, socioeconomic issues, and supervision and training concerns. The author provides many clinical examples in the material, which help to elucidate the concepts. The chapter on "Racism, Racial Identity, and Skin Color Issues" is so good because it gets to the core of many important themes that African American clients deal with on a daily basis. It addresses both racism and internalized shame in a thoughtful manner.
Assessment: This book is excellent. Written by a leading expert in the field who addresses many important areas, it should be required reading for those treating African American clients. The book is easy to read and is highlighted by a plethora of clinical examples. In cross-cultural psychology, it is one of the best books I have ever read. This welcome second edition adds important material and research, building on the solid foundation of the first edition written almost 15 years ago.
