Counseling Single-Parent Multiracial Families

Posted in Articles, Family/Parenting, Media Archive, Social Work, United States on 2013-08-24 17:55Z by Steven

Counseling Single-Parent Multiracial Families

The Family Journal
Volume 21, Issue 4 (October 2013)
pages 386-395
DOI: 10.1177/1066480713488526

Henry L. Harris, Associate Professor of Education
Department of Counseling
University of North Carolina, Charlotte

Single-parent families represent a growing segment of the family households in the United States today and while some literature has addressed racial differences, information focusing on single parents of multiracial children in the United States is virtually nonexistent. Single-parent multiracial families (SPMFs) must not only contend with societal challenges related to their single-parent status but also racial issues related to their multiracial children. This article will address some of the unique challenges encountered by SPMFs and offer suggestions to counselors and other mental health professionals working with this unique population.

Read or purchase the article here.

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School Counselors’ Perceptions of Biracial Children: A Pilot Study

Posted in Articles, Identity Development/Psychology, Media Archive, Teaching Resources, United States on 2010-12-10 02:02Z by Steven

School Counselors’ Perceptions of Biracial Children: A Pilot Study

Professional School Counseling
American School Counselor Association
December 2002
page 120-129

Henry L. Harris, Associate Professor and Chair of Department of Counseling
University of North Carolina, Charlotte

Biracial children represent a growing segment of America’s increasingly diverse population. According to Kalish (1995), data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) showed between 1978 and 1992, the number of biracial children born in the United States increased more than 50%, “rising from about 63,700 to almost 133,200” (p. 1). During the same period, biracial births grew from 2.1% to 3.9% of all births (Kalish). Jamison (1999) suggested the number of biracial individuals at between 2 million and 5 million, and noted this is a significant underestimation. Past societal guidelines and restrictions have contributed to this underestimation because, in many situations, biracial children were simply identified with the parent of color. According to the 2000 Census report, the most recent numbers indicate that people of two or more races made up 2.4 % (6,826,228) of the national population, and 42% (2,856,886) of them were under the age of 18 (U.S. Bureau of Census, 2001). In this article, a biracial individual is defined as someone having biological parents from two different racial or ethnic groups (Winn & Priest, 1993).

The research on the unique issues biracial children encounter has produced mixed results. Some studies found biracial children were more likely to experience higher degrees of problems associated with racial identity development, social marginality, isolation, sexuality conflicts, career dreams, and academic and behavioral concerns (Brandell, 1988; Gibbs, 1987; Gibbs & Moskowitz-Sweet, 1991; Herring, 1992; Teicher, 1968; Winn & Priest, 1993). However, other investigations yielded more positive results discovering biracial individuals overall were assertive, independent, and emotionally secure and creative individuals with a positive self concept (Kerwin, Ponterotto, Jackson, & Harris, 1993; Poussaint, 1984; Tizard & Phoenix, 1995).

Historically, biracial individuals have been analyzed and judged from biological and sociocultural perspectives (Nakashima, 1992). Originally, the biological perspective characterized individuals from interracial unions as mentally, physically, and morally weak beings and because of their perceived genetic inferiority, they faced insurmountable social, emotional, and psychological problems (Krause, 1941; Provine, 1973). The sociocultural perspective supported the belief that biracial people were social and cultural misfits, incapable of fitting in or gaining acceptance in any racial group, destined to lead a life of loneliness and confusion. The ultimate goal behind both perspectives was racial division, which socially and legally discouraged Caucasians from marrying and/or having children with people of color (Nakashima). For example, in 1945, more than half of the states had active laws banning interracial marriages. Twenty-one years later, 19 of those states still had such laws on the books. It was not until 1967 that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, in Loving v. Virginia, that states could not legally prohibit interracial marriages (Parker, 1999). Needless to say, the different forms of past social and legal discrimination against interracial marriages have also influenced children of such marriages in a negative manner (Wardle, 1991)…

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Counseling Multiple Heritage Individuals, Couples and Families

Posted in Anthologies, Books, Family/Parenting, Gay & Lesbian, Identity Development/Psychology, Media Archive on 2010-01-29 18:46Z by Steven

Counseling Multiple Heritage Individuals, Couples and Families

American Counseling Association
2009
235 pages
Order Number: 72883
ISBN: 978-1-55620-279-7

Written and edited by:

Richard C. Henriksen Jr., Associate Professor of Education
Department of Educational Leadership and Counseling
Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas

Derrick A. Paladino, Assistant Professor of Counseling
Department of Graduate Studies
Rollins College, Winter Park, Florida

This book examines the strengths of and the challenges facing multiple heritage individuals, couples, and families and offers a framework for best practice counseling services and interventions specifically designed to meet their needs. Topics covered include historical and current racial classification systems and their effects; identity development; transracial adoptions; and counseling strategies for children, adolescents, college students, adults, couples and families, and GLBT individuals. Poignant case studies illustrate important concepts and techniques throughout the book, and chapter review questions provide a starting point for lively classroom discussion.

Table of Contents

  • Foreword. Patricia Arredondo
  • Prologue. Richard C. Henriksen Jr. and Derrick A. Paladino
  • Preface xiii
  • About the Authors
  • About the Contributors
  • Chapter 1: History of Racial Classification. Richard C. Henriksen Jr. and Derrick A. Paladino
  • Chapter 2: History of Antimiscegenation. Richard C. Henriksen Jr. and Derrick A. Paladino
  • Chapter 3: Identity Development in a Multiple Heritage World. Richard C. Henriksen Jr. and Derrick A. Paladino
  • Chapter 4: Counseling Multiple Heritage Children. Henry L. Harris
  • Chapter 5: Counseling Multiple Heritage Adolescents. Michael Maxwell and Richard C. Henriksen Jr.
  • Chapter 6: Counseling Multiple Heritage College Students. Derrick A. Paladino
  • Chapter 7: Counseling Multiple Heritage Adults. Derrick A. Paladino and Richard C. Henriksen Jr.
  • Chapter 8: Counseling Multiple Heritage Couples and Families. Kelley R. Kenney and Mark E. Kenney
  • Chapter 9: Navigating Heritage, Culture, Identity, and Adoption: Counseling Transracially Adopted Individuals and Their Family. Amanda L. Baden, Laura A. Thomas, and Cheri Smith
  • Chapter 10: Intersecting Socially Constructed Identities With Multiple Heritage Identity. Andrew C. Benesh and Richard C. Henriksen Jr.
  • Chapter 11: Bridging the Margins: Exploring Sexual Orientation and Multiple Heritage Identities. Tiffany Rice and Nadine Nakamura
  • Chapter 12: Multiple Heritage Case Studies, Analysis, and Discussion
    • What’s in a Name? An International Adoption Case Study. L. DiAnne Borders and Christine E. Murray
    • The Case of Michael: Searching for Self-Identity. Nancy J. Nishimura
    • Family Case Study: Identity Lost. Jose A. Villalba and Derrick A. Paladino
    • Working With a Multiple Heritage Couple: A Couple’s Case Study. Mary G. Mayorga
    • The Balancing Act of Multiple Heritage Family Counseling. Leigh H. de Armas and Amanda K. Bailey
    • Working With a Multiple Heritage Client With Indigenous Roots. Janet Windwalker Jones
  • Appendix
  • Resources
  • Index

Read the front matter of the book here.

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