African Americans in general avoid counseling of any form, and group counseling is no exception to the rule. There are several cultural factors that play a role in defining this rule for African Americans, but the main issues are religion and spirituality, managing family and personal affairs according to what the culture deems acceptable, and the prejudices held by African Americans and their concern about other people's prejudices against them. Unfortunately, due to the closed nature of counseling culture and the lack of education regarding the group counseling experience and its many benefits, many African American individuals are forced to attempt to deal with life problems on their own. In the early 21st century, the church remains at the center of community life, providing for the social, spiritual, and psychological needs of scores of African Americans. No other institution has claimed the loyalty and attention of African Americans as has the Church” (Lee, 2006, p. 114). The vast majority of African Americans rely solely on their faith and trust in a higher being in times of difficulty and crisis, regardless of the nature or scope of the situation. “In traditional African societies, religion/spirituality permeated human existence. The entire life of an individual was a spiritual phenomenon. Spirituality was an integral part of a principle of unity in which humans, animals, plants, and natural phenomena were interrelated in a natural order with God as the driving force” (Lee, 2006, p. 58). While there is nothing that makes this belief or set of beliefs completely wrong, such a practice limits their resources and excludes all other avenues of assistance. Group Counseling is one of the charter groups for African-American women. Professional School Counseling, 3(4), 264-269.Muller, L. E. (2002, September). Group Counseling for African American Males: When All You Have Are European American Counselors. Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 27(3), 299-313. Black Men Anime: African American Men Discuss Mental Health. (2003, July 21). Community Voices. Retrieved from http://communityvoices.org/Uploads/Souls_of_Black_Men_00108_00037.pdfSteward, R. J. (1993, September/October). Black women and White women in groups: Suggestions for minority-sensitive group services on college campuses. Journal of Counseling and Development, 72(), 39-41.Want, V., Parham, T.A., Baker, R.C., & Sherman, M. (2004). African American students' ratings of Caucasian and African American counselors varying in racial consciousness. : Foundation for Educational Publishing.