Love, Intimacy, and the African American Couple

Katherine M. Helm, PhD, is a Professor of Psychology and Director of Graduate Programs in Psychology at Lewis University, and is a practicing psychologist.Jon Carlson, PsyD, EdD, ABPP, is a Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Counseling at Governors State University, and a psychologist at the Wellness Clinic in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

"Love, Intimacy, and the African American Couple is designed to help therapists and researchers address African American couples’ challenges related to romantic relationships from a culturally sensitive framework. The text successfully achieves this goal by highlighting current research on the state ofAfricanAmerican relationships, culturally appropriate and strengths-based approaches to working with African American couples, and case examples of African American couples in treatment." -Kiara Wesley, BA and Shalonda Kelly, PhD, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey Piscataway, New Jersey, USA“This book left me alarmed, inspired, challenged, and informed in a way that few clinical books have impacted me. I recommend it highly.” - William J. Doherty, PhD, Professor and Director, Minnesota Couples on the Brink Project, University of Minnesota; Author, Take Back Your Marriage: Sticking Together in a World That Pulls Us Apart“Insightful, culturally-competent, and long overdue! This book will be the definitive resource for clinicians treating African American couples.” - Kevin Cokley, PhD, Associate Professor, Counseling Psychology, African and African Diaspora Studies, University of Texas at Austin; Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Black Psychology“This text is an intellectual manual for how to successfully negotiate challenging terrain in ways that achieve healing outcomes. The insights are penetrating, the strategies are illuminating, and the intellectual horsepower that contributed to this volume is impressive.” - Thomas A. Parham, PhD, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Adjunct Faculty, University of California Irvine"Love, Intimacy, and the African American Couple would be an excellent supplementary text for college-level couples therapy courses. It would also be an important addition to the professional libraries and resources of clinicians serving African American intimate partners. The valuable information shared by the contributing authors and professional interviewees could significantly improve the engagement and retention of African American individuals and couples who are receiving clinical services and could greatly enhance the cultural competence of clinical practitioners." -Ella M. Duncan, PsycCRITIQUES

• Part I: Influences That Shape Love, Intimacy, and Relational Patterns Among African American Couples Chapter 1. Introduction Katherine Helm and Jon Carlson Chapter 2. Past and Present Societal Influences on African American Couples That Impact Love and Intimacy Sharon Bethea and Tennelle Allen Part II: Socialization Factors of Black Love and Intimacy Chapter 3: African American Male-Female Romantic Relationships Feliesha Shelton-Wheeler Chapter 4. Threats to Intimacy for African American Couples Tennille Allen and Katherine Helm Part III: Subgroups Within African American Couples Chapter 5. Love and Intimacy Issues with Intercultural Black Couples Chante’ D. DeLoach, Marissa N. Petersen-Coleman, and Shena J. Young Chapter 6. African American Lesbians and Gay Men in Couples Relationships: Threats to Intimacy and Consideration in Couples Psychotherapy Beverly Greene, Nancy Boyd-Franklin and Philip B. Spivey Part IV: Assessment and Treatment of Black Couples in Counseling Chapter 7. Culturally Sensitive Assessment Approaches and Considerations for African American Couples Katherine Helm and Torrey Wilson Chapter 8. Couples Therapy with African American Couples: Specific Treatment Strategies and Techniques Chante’ DeLoach Chapter 9. Culturally Sensitive Guidelines for non-Black Therapists Working with African American Couples Khyana K. Pumphrey Chapter 10. African American Couples and Pastoral Counseling Byron Waller Chapter 11. Conclusion Katherine Helm, Anton Lewis, and Jon Carlson