Black Birth Outcomes and Implications for Counseling

ABSTRACT

Black women experience disparate rates of adverse birth outcomes in the United States. Empirical evidence suggests that Black women’s distinct socio-cultural experiences yield complex clusters of stressors that increase their vulnerability to poor reproductive health outcomes. The literature points to the weathering effect of racism as a salient contributor to the Black-White birth gap. This article explores the intersectionality of biopsychosocial risk factors for poor birth outcomes among Black women and implications for professional counseling.

KEYWORDS:

• Black or African American women
• maternal mental health
• birth outcomes
• racism
• counseling

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Shoshanah Baht Yehudah

Shoshanah Baht Yehudah is a doctoral student in Counselor Education and Supervision at Governors State University. She received her MA in clinical mental health counseling from Chicago State University and is a licensed clinical professional counselor in Illinois. Yehudah is also board certified by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) as a National Certified Counselor (NCC) and Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor (CCMHC). She is in private practice and has clinical experience working in social services and integrated primary care behavioral health settings. Her clinical interests include maternal mental health, cultural competency in counseling, and trauma-informed approaches.

Sonya Lorelle

Sonya Lorelle is a Clinical Training Director at Counseling@Northwestern. She received her PhD in Counselor Education from Old Dominion University. She has clinical experiences working with students at a university counseling center and children at an agency that provided services to homeless families. She is a registered play therapist supervisor and has an interest in international counseling. She has volunteered to train counselors and provide counseling overseas, planned and implemented several study abroad experiences, and is a Master Trainer of the Mental Health Facilitator (MHF) program through the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC).