Date

12-11-2024

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)

Chair

Maddie Boyd

Keywords

African American, mental health, therapy, military, racism

Disciplines

Counseling

Abstract

This case study understands and describes the disproportionate rate of mental health care for African American Service Members in the US military. With minorities making up less than 20% of the US armed forces, fitting into predominantly white spaces is necessary for continued success and can cause stress, depression, and anxiety. The theory guiding this study is critical race theory, as it uncovers and challenges how laws, policies, and societal norms perpetuate racial hierarchies and disadvantage marginalized communities. It emphasizes the social construction of race, highlighting that it is not an inherent biological category but a product of historical, political, and social processes. The study also uses constructivism and ethnography, engaging with candidates in theoretical frameworks commonly used in education and applied in other social sciences. The study posits that knowledge and understanding are actively constructed by individuals based on their experiences, interactions, and interpretations of the world. Data were collected using previous research, internalizing racial discrimination, and expanding on the ethnography method using case studies and questionnaires.

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