Association of Black Psychologists

The Association of Black Psychologists is a professional organization born out of the need to have issues of mental health and the psychological well-being of persons acknowledging African descent addressed more effectively. In the social context of racism and monocultural hegemony common in the United States, the profession of psychology had not escaped historic bias. The need for a cultural relevance and cultural congruence had not been acknowledged in a meaningful manner. The Association of Black Psychologists is the first organization of ethnic-minority professional psychologists to step forward and demand the American Psychological Association begin to address and better meet the mental health needs of people of color.

The foundation upon which Western psychology, and European American psychology in particular, rests with regard to its capacity to identify, address, and respond appropriately to the mental health needs of persons of African descent, more specifically those whose ancestors' forced labor built the wealth upon which the U.S. economy is built, is quite tenuous. Such a history in the evolution of psychiatry and psychology cannot be ignored because it has a great impact on the mental health and well-being of those African Americans in the society who have been and are reliant on the mental health system, its institutions, and its professionals for meeting their mental health needs.

Further, great consideration must be given to the issue of the training, policies, and practices in place, or not in place, designed to address and overcome the monocultural bias that has characterized the development and delivery of mental health services for nondominant populations. The Association of Black Psychologists would encourage practitioners and researchers to ask themselves the following series of questions: What has been and is the historical relationship between strongly held societal beliefs and professional mental health practices? When did these biased, self-serving, oppressive perspectives change? What has caused or can cause a shift toward greater recognition and appreciation of the full humanity of these people of African descent and their progeny? To what extent are the prevailing societal beliefs and attitudes reflected in current mental health perceptions, policies, and practices?