American treatment systems overlook some of the most salient issues in Black mental health. The global social justice movement brought attention to obvious issues, but all challenges of living Black are not obvious. Much remains deeply embedded in overlooked historical factors, overlooked identity issues, overlooked clinical bias, overlooked losses, and overlooked strengths. LaVerne Collins brings those unspoken issues of Black life to the forefront of counseling conversations. The author looks deep into Black identities and unhides the psychological impact of Black racialization. The book considers the emotional weight of the historical presumption of guilt and the impact of shorter lifespans. Collins unearths the hidden sorrow, disenfranchised grief, and ambiguous losses imposed by racism. Each chapter brings overlooked and unspoken considerations into view; helping counselors develop culturally-sensitive case conceptualizations and interventions. The book invites counselors to reverse the deficit narratives associated with Black families, Black resistance, and the Black Church and see these as overlooked strengths.
LaVerne Collins is the writer/editor of the monthly column, "Honoring Diversity," in Counseling Today Magazine. With a deep clinical passion for the intersectionality of race, faith, culture, and trauma in mental health, Collins has over 25 years of experience as a counselor, clinical supervisor, and mental health diversity trainer, in addition to serving as an adjunct instructor/lecturer and advisor for university graduate-level counseling programs.
A must-read book for counselors, therapists, and other helping professionals who work with Black and African American clients in a variety of settings. Overlooked uses excellent workmanship to shine light on often overlooked and critical issues that help illuminate life in Black America. Through Dr. Collins, we have been given a phenomenal gift designed to enhance our multicultural and social justice counseling practices.--Taunya Marie Tinsley, PhD, DMin, NCC, LPC, author of Four Quarters: A Cultural and Developmental Approach to Transforming your Spiritual Autobiography I feel seen! Let's get this book into the hands of every mental health professional who works with Black clients. It is a powerful unveiling of the nuances of the Black experience that must be addressed to effect change. #OverlookedNoMore--LaTonya M. Summers, PhD, LCMHC, LMHC, assistant professor, Jacksonville University. founder of Black Mental Health Symposium
