Toward a Communities of Color Cultural Strengths Model for Counseling Psychology Training

Advancing the field’s exploration of cultural strengths and expanding conceptions of the factors that contribute to wellness, we introduce a new model, the communities of color cultural strengths model (CCCSM). In this paper, we begin by exploring connections among counseling and positive psychologies as well as psychologies of communities of color (CC) to provide a backdrop of how these areas are complementary. We then discuss Black psychology as an exemplar for examining links between psychologies of CC and positive psychology. We highlight the scholarship of two prominent Black psychologists, Drs. Joseph White and Linda James Myers, to illustrate how psychologies of CC inform identifying cultural strengths. Next, we discuss the three facets of the CCCSM which include: (a) influences on cultural strengths, (b) cultural strengths foci, and (c) education-training domains. We conclude with recommendations for application of the CCCSM in research, practice, and advocacy.