African American Cultures

Eye contact in many Indian cultures is different from the dominant American culture. Respect is communicated to others by listening quietly and avoiding direct eye contact. This is especially true when the Indian person is wishing to communicate respect to an elder or someone of perceived higher status.

For some Indian clients, note taking during the initial interview may not be experienced as a listening behavior . It is wise to watch for nonverbal signals that taking notes is seen as rude , and stop taking notes if possible. If you must take a few notes, simply explain the function of your notes and try to compensate for the distraction they represent.

A case example of an initial interview and case formulation with an American Indian is provided in Putting It in Practice 13.2.

African American Cultures

I am Kikuyu. My people believe if you are close to the Earth, you are close to people.

What an African woman nurtures in the soil will eventually feed her family. Likewise, what she nurtures in her relations will ultimately nurture her community. It is a matter of living the circle.

-Wangari Waigwa Stone in Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place, by Terry Tempest Williams 378 Interviewing Special PopulationsSimilar to the experience of American Indians, the relationship between African Americans and European settlers did not begin as a mutual, voluntary relationship.

Both American Indian and African American cultures experienced the decimation of family structure, severe illness, loss of property and custom, and loss of liberty because of their involuntary contact with Whites. Between the years 1518 and 1870, approximately 15 million Africans were captured and brought by force to serve as slaves in the New World . The resulting intergenerational trauma, role confusion, grief, and loss reverberate in the African American culture as it rebuilds itself. There are spectacular success stories and examples of healing, depth, and wisdom throughout African American culture, but the costs of these traumas are still evident.