Healing Properties of the Blues

The timeless nature of the exercises in this workbook allows them to be used endlessly for self-improvement, for practice with client systems or for professional presentations. The overview of the Blues Problem-Solving Method can be integrated into the undergraduate and graduate curriculum as a companion discussion in human behavior and practice courses. Practitioners and trainers may use the Workbook to integrate the concepts into in-service training or direct services.
The most important use for this Workbook is the actual learning activities. Users will welcome them as invaluable aids in a wide variety of education, counseling, and training sessions. They are inexpensive, participative, timeless, and adaptable. The objective, materials required, approximate time required, procedure, discussion questions, and source are included to aid in the selection of the appropriate activity for the appropriate occasion.
Though the activities in this Workbook are based on the African American experience, they can be easily generalized to other groups. Some exercises may be used as is with any group. Others may require substituting the worldview to fit the activity to the desired ethnic or cultural group. iii
The activities contained in this Workbook represent a small sample of what can come from the blues. Users are encouraged to delve into the rich history of the blues experience found in the films and literature included at the end of this Workbook, or probe the spirituals, work songs, folk narratives, gospels, sermons, dance styles, humor, folk tales, jazz, or oral history for more ideas for creating your own exercises. As you develop activities, please forward them to me so that I may include them in the next version of this workbook. I thank you in advance.