Mental Health: A Phenomenological Study of African American Christian’s Perception of Mental Health and Utilization of Mental Health Treatment

The goal of this phenomenological study is to describe African American Christian’s knowledge of mental health and mental health treatment. The goal is to explore more effective ways to increase African American Christians' awareness of mental illnesses and the use of mental health treatment. The research included 20 participants from the state of Texas. The theory leading this research is the self-labeling theory as it describes the connection between social networks and the utilization of mental health treatment. Participants were interviewed to analyze one’s knowledge, and views of mental illness and the utilization of services. The information from the interviews was examined using NVivo, a qualitative data analysis software. Through NVivo, themes, patterns, and general beliefs are obtained from the interviews in addition to focusing on the research questions. In this study some of the research themes that emerged are the knowledge of mental illness and treatment and the significance of cultural preference in a counselor.