Dear Journal for Specialists in Group Work Audience,
Greetings! Drs. Erik Hines and Sam Steen are excited to present the second edition of this Special Issue, Group Counseling for African American Children and Adolescents. This edition highlights Group Work with Black/African American Males. Specifically, we have 5 scholarly articles written by experts on Black/African American males discussing how to best assist this population using group work through conceptual and empirical approaches. This edition is timely given both the strengths associated with Black/African American males in conjunction with the harsh sociopolitical realities faced by many of our Black youth. This emphasis on Black/African American male youth within the second edition is the first of its kind within the Journal for Specialists in Group Work and the editors hope this body of work builds on the ongoing scholarly endeavors that have the potential to produce positive outcomes for Black/African American males through group work.
This second edition starts with an article that defines and provides empirical support for the multidimensional identities of Black male youth. In particular, Vereen et al. focus on how widespread media invariably portrays Black male youth through a myopic lens as needing to overcome a litany of challenges and struggles. The authors further explore the notion of listening to learn from the voices of Black male youth prior to implementing group work practices and important implications for group work practice are provided. Next, in this edition, Nelson and colleagues present a conceptual School-Community Group Model for working with African American adolescents. The model targets young African American urban males. This intervention was co-facilitated by a White female school counselor and a Black male community leader. Key model concepts, co-leadership and an emphasis on mutual respect is highlighted throughout the article. Further in the edition, several authors discuss how to prepare African American males for college through group counseling. Specifically, Hines et al., created, Achieving Excellence: A College Readiness Curriculum for African American Males, a five session, 50-minute group curriculum for sophomores to facilitate the process of college planning. This article infuses the tenets created by the National Office of School Counseling Advocacy (NOSCA) and provides recommendations for school counselors interested in replicating this work. Next, Harris and colleagues focused on Black male student athletes. In their one of a kind study, the authors explored the perceived impact of a group intervention that delved into identity development for these youth. They used a strong qualitative framework in order to determine the participants’ perceptions following the intervention and the students’ remarks and experiences are fascinating. Last in this edition, Burt challenges the readers to embrace the reality that financial literacy, an essential skill in the modern world, must be taught with intention. Burt eloquently provides Black male youth an opportunity to communicate effectively on this topic by using creative means to implement a therapeutic financial literacy group for Black male teenagers, which is thematically based on popular rap songs glamorizing money. It indeed is an article that fills an important gap within the group work literature.
In conclusion, the editors hope the readers gain new insight, knowledge, and skills that will help them work with Black/African American males effectively and from a strengths-based paradigm. The second edition of this special issue on Group Counseling for African American Children and Adolescents is innovative and groundbreaking. The guest editors are convinced practitioners and scholars will find the articles full of substance, value and opportunities for personal and professional reflection.