Over the course of an African American’s lifetime, mental health care needs change according to an individual’s unique interactions with his or her environment. Mental Health Care in the African-American Community uses this perspective to provide a deeper analysis of factors and issues affecting the mental health of African Americans. This comprehensive text provides a current and historical analysis of the impact of mental health research, policy, community, and clinical practice from a life course perspective. Stressing evidence-based practice as an expanded way to think and talk about individualizing and translating evidence into a given practice situation, this valuable book provides a social work context for all helping professions.

Mental Health Care in the African-American Community provides the helping community with non-traditional, expanded ways of thinking and intervening in the mental health needs and care of African Americans. Organized logically, this complex subject presents data in a user-friendly way that engages the reader, and provides chapter summaries and suggested group/classroom activities to facilitate understanding. This text is extensively referenced and includes figures and tables to clearly illustrate data.

Topics in Mental Health Care in the African-American Community include:

• a historical overview of African Americans’ mental health care


• a conceptual and theoretical framework for African Americans’ mental health


• current issues affecting mental health intervention for African Americans


• mental health in group homes and foster care


• depression


• substance abuse


• poverty


• ADHD


• suicide


• mental health in elderly African Americans


• mental health policy


• rural African American mental health needs


• kinship care


• multiethnic families and children


• much, much more!

Mental Health Care in the African-American Community is a valuable textbook for practitioners; administrators; researchers; policymakers; educators; and students in social work, psychology, mental health services, case management, and community planning.