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Article Excerpt
This article presents a culturally congruent approach to working with African American male adolescents in foster care. The therapeutic mentoring group was developed based on principles derived from a West African social and cultural worldview. We use a case study approach to describe the model's implementation and demonstrate its clinical utility with an urban population of African American male adolescents. The therapeutic mentoring group effectively reduced the episodes of maladaptive behaviors displayed by the participants.
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This article presents a therapeutic mentoring group model for working with at-risk African American male adolescents to reduce self-destructive behaviors (e.g., drug use, gang activity, sexual promiscuity, self/other directed violence) and to encourage more socially adaptive behaviors. A case study is used to demonstrate the clinical utility of this unique and culturally congruent approach to working with a population historically underserved by the mental health profession (i.e., African American male adolescents). The model presented here is based on the premise that in African cultural systems and ethos, the individual is viewed only in the context of the group or community (see Gyekye, 1996; Kambon, 1998; Nobles, 1991). As such, the therapeutic mentoring group concept subscribes to a collective approach for mentoring young people of African decent. Accordingly, mentoring is conceptualized as requiring the efforts of the entire community (village) as opposed to relying on one-to-one mentoring relationships.
The group approach to mentoring has several distinct advantages over the one-to-one approach. First, group work is culturally consistent with the reality of the African American experience and places an emphasis on the concept of community (Boyd-Franklin, 1991). Furthermore, the group approach to mentoring seeks to foster a sense of connectedness as a means of healthy psychological and emotional development. Second, the potential for burnout common in one-to-one mentoring relationships is reduced given that the responsibility of being available for the young person does not fall on any one individual. Finally, the chance for a youngster to be disappointed because the mentor missed a scheduled activity because of family or work obligations is reduced by the availability of a community of mentors.
The therapeutic mentoring group model was developed by the first and second authors and is currently implemented in a foster care agency in a large metropolitan area. At the writing of this article, the mentoring group was in its third year and has had a great deal of success in meeting its stated goals. The group currently consists of six young adolescent males, four of whom are part of the original cohort. The group members range in age from 11 to 14, with the average age being 13. Of the six group members, four have been in foster care since they were 6 years of age or younger (one since birth). The average time in foster care for the entire group is 6 years. The youngsters have been placed in foster care for a variety of reasons, including sexual and physical abuse, neglect, abandonment, and parental substance abuse. Three of the six youngsters are currently in special education academic settings or structured classroom placements for children with behavior problems. Four of the six are currently receiving psychotropic medications for a variety of symptoms, including ADHD, depression, and bi-polar disorder. None of the youngsters has had contact with members of their biological family in the past three years.
The mentors were members of an Afri-centric college-based social fellowship committed to community development and self-empowerment. The therapeutic component of the mentoring project requires that the group meet once weekly for 2 hours with the facilitator who is a licensed mental health service provider. The mentors meet with the youngster at least twice monthly for cultural, educational, and recreational outings. The mentors involve the youngsters in discussions about transition to adulthood, being in foster care, being young African American males in an anti-Black society, and issues related to sex and sexuality. The mentors received training with regard to the issues unique to adolescents in foster care (i.e., attachment; impact of psychological, physical, and sexual abuse).
CULTURE-CENTERED CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
According to Wilhelmus (1998), despite the growing interest in cultural awareness within the child welfare system, there remains a considerable need for interventions that are culturally responsive. African American children in particular are disproportionately represented in the foster care system. Perhaps of greater concern is that African American children are not receiving adequate treatment. Jackson (1996) maintained that "the cultural nuances of minority client populations are not fully accepted and are often misunderstood by child welfare administrators and practitioners" (p.597). As such, greater cultural understanding, knowledge, and appreciation are needed in order to successfully address the needs of African American children in foster care. The model of intervention recommended in this article possesses the cultural ingredients that are optimal for working with the targeted population.
Several scholars (Bynum, 1999; James-Myers, 1987; Kambon, 1998; Nobles, 1991) have noted the importance and necessity of incorporating the African worldview as the basis for understanding the psychological functioning and behavior of African Americans. Notwithstanding the marked differentiations in time and space, African Americans share a commonality in ethos with other people of African descent in the Diaspora (Bynum; Nobles). According to Nobles, traditional West African belief systems survived the Middle Passage (i.e., transport of African captives to the West) and hundreds...
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