Research and theory on the intervening variables that enable individuals who experience marginalization and oppression to achieve well-being have historically relied on an individual level of analysis. Yet, there is a growing body of literature that highlights the roles that contexts play in facilitating processes that result in wellness among marginalized individuals. This paper proposes a conceptual framework that highlights a specific type of setting, referred to as "counterspaces," which promotes the psychological well-being of individuals who experience oppression. Counterspaces are theorized to enhance well-being by challenging deficit-oriented societal narratives concerning marginalized individuals' identities. The conceptual frame proposed here suggests that "challenging" can occur through at least three processes: (1) narrative identity work, (2) acts of resistance, and (3) direct relational transactions. This paper articulates each of these challenging processes. Additionally, the utility of using the Counterspaces framework for thinking critically about and investigating how settings-and the transactional processes that unfold within them-are associated with the promotion of psychological wellness for various marginalized populations is discussed.

The Strong Black Woman (SBW) race-gender schema prompts African American women to use self-reliance and self-silence as coping strategies in response to stressors. Utilizing the coping strategies associated with the SBW race-gender schema could trigger anxiety and depression symptoms that may intensify when coupled with negative attitudes toward professional psychological help. The present study investigated whether African American women's endorsement of the SBW race-gender schema predicted increased symptoms of anxiety and depression and whether attitudes toward professional psychological help-seeking intensified psychological distress. Data were collected from 95 participants ranging in age from 18 to 65. Hierarchical regression analysis demonstrated significant main effects for the SBW race-gender schema and greater anxiety and depression, respectively. Greater indifference to stigma, 1 dimension of help-seeking attitudes, predicted lower levels of anxiety. African American women's attitudes toward professional help-seeking did not moderate the associations between endorsement of the SBW race-gender schema and anxiety or depression, respectively. Finally, endorsement of the SBW race-gender schema was inversely and significantly associated with 2 facets of help-seeking attitudes: (a) psychological openness and (b) help-seeking propensity. Taken together, these findings provide empirical support for the role of cultural factors, like the SBW race-gender schema, in African American women's experience of psychological distress and potential underutilization of mental health services. Future research directions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record

Although strength is often embraced as a vital aspect of African American womanhood, African American women's endorsement of the strong Black woman race-gender schema has received empirical attention because of its association with harmful health outcomes. Thus, there is limited knowledge regarding how African American women simultaneously experience its liabilities (e.g., harmful health outcomes) and benefits (e.g., increased selfefficacy). Qualitative thematic analysis was used to analyze data from 13 African American women who discussed the competing messages experienced when internalizing the strong Black woman race-gender schema. Three tensions were identified: (a) be psychologically durable yet do not engage in behaviors that preserve psychological durability, (b) be equal yet be oppressed, and (c) be feminine yet reject traditional feminine norms. These tensions highlighted that the schema simultaneously produced advantageous outcomes with respect to self-efficacy yet unfavorable implications for self-care. Each tension is discussed with respect to its perceived advantages and disadvantages. spite of varying terminologies, the SBW has been consistently described as a "schema" that prescribes an exclusive set of cognitive and behavioral expectations for African American women, notably standing up for oneself, exhibiting selfreliance, and taking care of others (Beauboeuf-Lafontant, 2007;Settles et al., 2008;Woods-Giscombé, 2010). In sum, the SBW race-gender schema provides African American women with a "blueprint" on how to appropriately perform their intersected race-gender identity. Yet, the SBW race-gender schema's implications for African American women's well-being have not been straightforward.Empirical findings have demonstrated that endorsement of the SBW racegender schema was associated with emotion dysregulation, increased distress, and obesity (Woods-Giscombé's (2010) recent work has brought attention to the benefits of the SBW race-gender schema, such as the preservation of one's self-image and of African American communities and families. Based on the aforementioned data it has become clear that the SBW race-gender schema simultaneously creates liabilities and benefits. Yet, it is unclear how the simultaneous experience of these liabilities and benefits create tensions for African American. This study sought to address this gap in the extant literature; we investigated whether tensions arise due to the simultaneous experience of the liabilities and benefits of the SBW race-gender schema. Addressing this gap is important for two reasons: (a) it can extend the SBW race-gender schema literature beyond binary conclusions and (b) it can inform further theorizing about the SBW race-gender schema and its association with mental health outcomes. The current study, using qualitative methods informed by a critical-realist paradigm, addressed the limitation of the existing conceptualization of the SBW race-gender schema by investigating how the liabilities and benefits inherent in the SBW race-gender schem...

Through narrative identity work, offender‐labeled African American youth craft positive self‐concepts in the face of denigrating societal messages about their personhood. While past research suggests narrative identity work is largely intrapersonal, recent theory posits that it may also arise through individuals’ participation in counterspaces. This 9‐month ethnography explored how a group of offender‐labeled African American youth engaged in narrative identity work through participation in an intervention program that functioned as a counterspace. Findings from observations and interviews suggest youth engaged in narrative identity work by interfacing with the program's unique belief system, and roles, resources, and relationships within the program. These findings highlight specific interpersonal/setting mechanisms that facilitate the narrative identity work of offender‐labeled African American youth, while suggesting important implications for intervening with this population.

Racial trauma, an ongoing consequence of historical trauma, has deleterious effects on the well-being of Africana communities. The psychological literature primarily reflects individual processes in the relationship between racial trauma and healing. Going beyond individualistic approaches, we present a community healing framework informed by multidisciplinary scholarship: Community Healing and Resistance Through Storytelling ( C-HeARTS). Three major components of the framework are delineated: (a) justice as both a condition of and an outcome of community healing; (b) culturally syntonic processes (i.e., storytelling and resistance) that direct the renarrating of trauma and act as conduits for transformation; and (c) psychological dimensions (i.e., connectedness, collective memory, and critical consciousness) that promote justice-informed outcomes. In the C-HeARTS framework, community is advanced as an agent of change while centering justice and the important role of cultural practices to facilitate community healing.