The Faith and Spirituality Division honors the depth, diversity, and power of Black spiritual traditions as vital sources of healing, resilience, and connection. This division brings together counselors, clergy, and mental health professionals who recognize the integral role that faith, spirituality, and culture play in the well-being of Black individuals, families, and communities.

We celebrate all forms of Black spirituality from Christianity, Islam, and Judaism to African Traditional Religions, ancestral reverence, indigenous practices, and humanist or non-religious spiritual expressions. Our goal is to create a space where counselors can integrate faith and culture ethically and affirmatively in their work.

Mission

To promote culturally congruent, spiritually informed counseling practices that respect the full spectrum of Black faith and spiritual traditions, empowering both counselors and clients to find meaning, healing, and wholeness.

Vision

A world where Black counselors and clients experience freedom, authenticity, and harmony in the integration of faith, spirituality, and mental health  and where diverse Black spiritual expressions are valued as sources of wisdom, resilience, and liberation.

Values

• Cultural and Spiritual Inclusivity — We embrace the vast landscape of Black faith and spiritual traditions, including Christianity, Islam, Yoruba, Ifá, Kemetic practices, indigenous African systems, and secular humanism.

• Holistic Healing — We believe mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual wellness are interconnected and must be approached together.

• Respect and Ethical Integration — We encourage counselors to honor clients’ spiritual worldviews while maintaining ethical boundaries and professional integrity.

• Liberation and Justice — We recognize spirituality as a force for collective healing, freedom, and social transformation within Black communities.

• Community and Connection — We create spaces for dialogue, learning, and shared practice among counselors who bridge the spiritual and clinical worlds.

• Faith-Informed Scholarship — We value continued study, reflection, and dialogue on how spiritual systems intersect with psychology, wellness, and cultural identity.

Current Initiatives & Focus Areas

• Interfaith and Interspiritual Dialogue — Creating opportunities for counselors of varying faiths and spiritual practices to learn from one another, build bridges, and cultivate inclusive understanding.

• Trauma, Faith, and Healing — Developing workshops and trainings that explore how trauma impacts faith and how spiritual communities can support recovery and resilience.

• Culturally Rooted Spiritual Wellness — Promoting traditional and ancestral practices such as meditation, drumming, prayer, ritual, and storytelling as culturally grounded paths to wellness.

• Ethical Integration in Practice — Offering guidance on incorporating spirituality in counseling in ways that are affirming, non-impositional, and culturally appropriate.

• Faith-Based Community Collaboration — Strengthening partnerships between counselors, clergy, and spiritual leaders to improve mental health access in Black congregations and communities.

Who Should Join

This division is for counselors and mental health professionals who:

• Identify as people of faith or draw from spiritual traditions in their personal or professional lives.

• Work with clients whose identities and healing are deeply influenced by spirituality, religion, or cultural beliefs.

• Serve in or collaborate with faith-based institutions, churches, mosques, temples, or spiritual communities.

• Are exploring the ethical and effective integration of spirituality in counseling from a culturally responsive lens.

• Seek to expand their understanding of Black spirituality as a foundation for healing, resistance, and resilience.

Join us to connect with other professionals committed to exploring the intersections of spirituality, faith, and mental health and to strengthen your ability to serve the full spectrum of spiritual identities within the Black community.