William Conwill
Counselor Education (COE) & African American Studies (CLAS)
Counseling Africans in America: A Multimedia Teaching Module
I am a Counseling Psychologist committed to theoretical development of a metadisciplinary ecological model of the intersections of gender, race, class, and nation for human service provision. My model calls for de-centering and broadening the bases of counselors' knowledge through reciprocal exchange. I am going to Dakar, Senegal in June to study applications of psychological counseling theories with individuals and families in West Africa in a number of service settings. Moreover, I will spend some of my time at the West African Research Center (WARC), where I hope to encounter members of the African Counselling Association, and other human service professionals. I am also interested in the vital work of African women dedicated to the reduction of family, community, and other forms of violence.
On my return, I will develop a multimedia teaching module for counseling Africans in the United States, for incorporation into my courses, especially Counseling Theories and Applications, Black Family Intervention, and Domestic Violence in the Black Community. The module will address African immigrants' issues upon their disembarkation on our shores, including discrimination; and shame and confusion resulting from sexist, racist and other injurious (iatrogenic) social service interventions; as well as counselor knowledge, attitudes, and competencies.