Thoughts on Family Therapy from an African American Frame: An Article Review

 

In the article, Burton and colleagues (see footnote for full reference) address the idea of “homeplace” in working with African American clients in family therapy.  First, the authors describe the concept of homeplace for Black Americans as a space of nurturance, created by a sense of community anchored by a shared sense of struggle and triumph. 

Homeplace is a construct, originally coined by the feminist activist bell hooks, who argued that African Americans, because their ancestors were uprooted from their original lands and placed in a country in which they were unwelcomed and marginalized, lack a sense of belonging to the country and culture in which they abide. Therefore, Black Americans must deliberately create a space, where they can be nurtured physically and spiritually, and feel safe to connect with other African Americans authentically.

Honoring the Homeplace in the Therapy Room

Next, the authors explain how African Americans often yearn for a homeplace, yet when this yearning is expressed in the therapy room it is often brushed aside or misunderstood by therapists who lack understanding of this concept. 

To illustrate this point, the authors offer several case-study examples from their research and clinical practice. For example, they introduce “Cherise”, a young mother who participated in group counselling sessions for mothers in need of housing. Cherise was raised in a low income, majority Black neighborhood and followed the counseling program fully.  However, when it was time for Cherise to move into her own apartment, which the social workers had found for her in a middle-class suburb, Cherise declined the housing.

The authors would argue that while this behavior may seem counter to Cherise’s housing goals, the social workers did not take into account that Cherise was yearning for something more than housing. She was yearning for a homeplace.  Cherise believed that she would be an outsider in the middle-class apartment community, stating that she “didn’t feel safe around all those White people.”

Another example the authors give is of “David,” who at the time of working with a therapist was a young adult who had had, what the authors call homeplace disturbances in his youth. David, until age 10 had a stable homelife with his mother and two younger sisters, until his mother’s recreational drug use became a debilitating addiction.

It was at this time that David began taking care of his younger sisters and his relationship with his mother deteriorated as she accused him of sexually mistreating his sisters. Eventually David and his siblings were taken away from the home and placed in foster care. David with his own foster parents, separate from his sisters, took some time to warm up and feel at “home.” 

Once he eventually became secure in his new home, his foster father became terminally ill and David’s yearning for a stable, safe home place became an issue again. Over the next few years, David exhibited behaviors indicative of a behavioral disorder, yelling at his foster parents, breaking rules, and joining a gang. Once, his therapeutic team could understand his behaviors from the perspective of homeplace yearning, they were able to implement strategies to make him feel more connected to his secure base and his behaviors subsided.

Implications for Practice

It seems important that therapists, particularly family therapist working with minoritized groups understand the concept of homeplace and are able to engage their clients in exploring and communicating its meaning in therapy.  As we saw in Cherise’s example, when there is miscommunication around this issue, treatment strategies may not target the real issue. Second, the authors note the importance of understanding behavioral and psychological issues from the perspective of homeplace. Anti-social behavior could stem from current living arrangements, but could also be indicative of a homeplace yearning, as in David’s example.

Limitations

Because this was an exploratory qualitative study, we still do not have a lot of answers for how to address this construct in family practice. Additionally, this article was published in 2004, and I was unable to find any more recent research on the topic of homeplace for African Americans in family therapy in the literature. This tells me that there is more exploration that can be done on this topic. Specific research questions include: 1) How do homeplace disturbances in school-age children impact those children’s treatment in school-based therapy? 2) How do African American parents create effective homeplaces for children during racially turbulent times in the country.  3) What are effective strategies for non-minority therapists to address homeplace yearning behaviors with African American families?

Until next time,

Keya

Reference

Burton, L. M., Winn, D. M., Stevenson, H., & lark, S. L.  (2004).  Working with African American clients: Considering the “homeplace” in marriage and family therapy practices.  Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 30(4),  397-410

NOTE: I am not a licensed mental health provider or counseling psychologist (yet). I am a graduate student, and as such the information offered on my website and social media platforms are informed by research, personal and professional experience, and education, however, are not designed to provide advice (be it treatment advice or educational advice). All content is for informational and educational purposes only.