Rap Music in School Counseling Based on Don Elligan's Rap Therapy

Abstract

In 2000, Don Elligan introduced Rap Therapy as a psychotherapeutic intervention for working with at-risk youths, primarily African American males whose identities were highly influenced by rap music. Rap music can engage a population of youth who often enter counseling apprehensively (Elligan 2000, 2004; Tillie-Allen, 2005). This article reviews rap culture and how it relates to inner-city youth, as well as the benefits of using Don Elligan's Rap Therapy with at-risk youth. Implications for using Rap Therapy as a time-effective intervention by school counselors are included.

KEYWORDS:

• rap therapy
• at-risk youth
• school counseling
• multicultural
• creativity
• rap
• hip-hop
• music