Kathy Evans

Weliness and Coping Activities of African American Counselors

This study examined the physical, emotional, occupational, and spiritual wellness activities of African American counselors and the behaviors they use to cope with racism The author developed a demographic questionnaire and a wellness survey that included an open-ended question on coping with racism These instruments were completed by 91 professional counselors who were certified by the National Board of Certified Counselors. The scores for spiritual and emotional wellness were significantly higher than the scores for physical and occupational wellness. Multiple regression analyses indicated that counselors in school settings (K-12) were less likely to engage in occupational wellness activities than counselors employed elsewhere. There was some indication that gender was related to spiritual wellness and that counselor position was related to emotional and physical wellness. The most used coping behavior against racism was confrontation.