Midwifing--A Womanist Approach to Pastoral Counseling: Investigating the Fractured Self, Slavery, Violence, and the Black Woman - Hardcover

by Myrna Thurmond-Malone (Author), Pamela Ayo Yetunde (Foreword by)

Midwifing--A Womanist Approach to Pastoral Counseling: Investigating the Fractured Self, Slavery, Violence, and the Black Woman, is an investigation of intergenerational trauma. Exploring the impact of slavery, violence, racism, sexism, classism, and other isms on the self of the Black woman. This examination of the complexity of pain speaks to the multidimensional reality of some Black women and the necessity for a therapeutic technique that invites the fullness of the Black woman's historical narrative. Dr. Thurmond-Malone's work exposes hidden pain in a safe and sacred space that speaks to the deep-rooted anguish experienced through generations of Black women and invites her readers to understand the necessity for a rebirthing to occur. This work also empowers women of African descent to become unarmored through the naming, claiming, and reauthoring of their story, and empowers therapists to become midwives adept at empathizing with the intense pain carried by some Black women. Lastly, the book provides clinicians with insight into how to become midwives capable of holding the accounts of Black women while illustrating the author's approach as a method of interdependence, communal, and cultural competency. Taking an analytical look at the counselee's past then births hope for their future as a whole and transformative self.

Author Biography

Rev. Dr. Myrna Thurmond-Malone is a pastoral psychotherapist and received her educational training at the College of St. Elizabeth, Berkeley College, Mercer University, the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC), Columbia Theological Seminary, Higher Impact Training and Counseling (HITC), Anger Management Institute, and International Association of Trauma Professionals.



In her quest for learning, cultivating, and crafting her skills, she pursued additional extensive training in clinical pastoral education, and clinical pastoral counseling and psychotherapy. She completed twelve months of clinical pastoral education at St. Luke's Counseling Center and Emory Center for Pastoral Services; and eighteen months of clinical pastoral counseling and psychotherapy training at Care and Counseling Center of Georgia. In her desire to provide relevant and transformative care, Rev. Dr. Thurmond-Malone is currently attending The Chicago School of Professional Psychology studying clinical psychopharmacology. In addition to operating her clinical practice, she serves as a staff chaplain/pastoral counselor in the Department of Spiritual Health at Emory Healthcare, an adjunct professor, researcher, author, wife, mother, daughter, and sister.