African American undergraduate students face numerous challenges during college; however, they are less likely to seek help from college counseling services. Often, African Americans seek support from spiritual resources. In the current phenomenological study, participants shared in a focus group interview. Overall, participants seemed to value the Black Church as an integral part of their lives and as an influence on their perceptions of counseling and proclivity to seek counseling services.

Historically, African Americans have lower rates of help seeking as negative perceptions of mental illness and treatment have persisted. Previous researchers identified stigma as an important factor in these attitudes and behaviors. In this current study, 210 African American participants responded to open-ended survey questions assessing these topics. We conducted a qualitative content analysis to identify themes. The themes that emerged included: 1) Stigma: Feeling ashamed and being shamed, (2) Violence/danger, (3) Perceptions of ability, (4) Indicator of weakness, (5) Dismissing mental health issues, and (6) Religion and spirituality.

Gatekeeping in counselor education is an ethical responsibility and professional best practice. The authors examined gatekeeping perceptions of 9 counselor educators, with equal representation of assistant professors, associate/full professors, and adjuncts/instructors/lecturers. The authors analyzed data using consensual qualitative research methodology (Hill, Thompson, & Williams, ). Findings include commonalities and differences between academic role groups.

This study investigated the relationship between demographic characteristics, mental health treatment stigma, religious coping, and help seeking among a sample of 488 Christian African Americans. The results indicated that religious coping, both negative and positive, accounted for a significant portion of variance and explained trends in lifetime counseling attendance above and beyond that explained by demographic characteristics and mental health treatment stigma variables.

Black Americans are more likely than other racial/ethnic groups to rely on spiritual and religious resources for mental health support. As such, counselors must seek unique ways to reach and understand Black communities. This article provides an overview of Black Americans' help‐seeking behaviors, the significance and culture of the Black Church, and a framework for counselors and counseling researchers to form effective partnerships to conduct community‐based participatory research initiatives that will produce empirical outcomes and promote culturally responsive mental health and wellness programming in Black communities.