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Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0009-0005-0392-2347
Date Available
5-31-2025
Year of Publication
2023
Document Type
Capstone
Degree Name
Doctor of Social Work (DSW)
Faculty
Dr. Laura Escobar-Ratliff
Abstract
The Strong Black Woman Schema is the ideology that Black women should display mental and physical strength, stoicism, and nurturer traits. While Black women who identify with this schema typically associate this term with a positive identity, there are adverse outcomes that stem from this identification. Black women who identify with the Strong Black Woman schema experience higher rates of depression, anxiety, and psychological distress. No treatment modality has been determined to treat Black women who identify with the Strong Black Woman Schema. This capstone presentation will present a systematic literature review that discusses how the Strong Black Woman Schema is defined and the self-perceptions of Black women who identify with the Strong Black Woman schema and explore the impact that anxiety, depression, and psychological distress have on Black women who identify with the Strong Black Woman Schema. This presentation will also aid in conceptualizing the Strong Black Woman schema through the lens of Psychodynamic theory and the introduction of the Strong Black Woman Framework. The presentation will conclude by introducing a four-part treatment model entitled the A.S.C.C. model, or Assess, Stabilize, Catharsis, and Community, as a proposed treatment model for clients who identify with the Strong Black Woman Schema at a micro level. This paper will also discuss limitations associated with systematic literature review, conceptual work, and application work centered around the Strong Black Woman Schema. This capstone project will discuss implications for future research on identifying and treating Black Women who identify with the Strong Black Woman Schema as practicing clinicians, pitfalls that could exist due to the length of time that must be dedicated to implementing the A.S.C.C. treatment model, and the necessity of completing a norming study using the A.S.C.C. treatment model to prove the validity and the reliability of using this model in a clinical setting.
Recommended Citation
Mulder, Kendra, "The Strong Black Woman Schema: A Proactive Approach to Conceptualizing and Providing Mental Health Treatment for Black Women Who Identify with the Strong Black Woman Schema" (2023). DSW Capstone Projects. 64.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/csw_grad_reports/64
Included in
Clinical and Medical Social Work Commons, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Commons, Counseling Commons, Other Mental and Social Health Commons, Social Work Commons, Women's Health Commons
