We Are Therefore I Am: A Psycho-Cosmos Counseling Model for Black Africans

This article explores the concepts of corporate personality, rituals and religion as they impact counseling indigenous black African people in their home settings or in Western contexts. It discusses the predominantly “I” focus of Western methods of counseling and psychotherapies and regards it as ineffective when compared to the “we” concept of indigenous African cultures. The authors examine the roles of healers, diviners, and counselors, and the influence of culture, religion, and rituals in the healing (therapeutic) process. A psycho-cosmos model of counseling is proposed that places counseling involvement in a larger context and includes some suggestions for practitioners.