FaithBridge uses its faith centered healing curriculum called “Live Again”. Why do we put such an emphasis on faith? According to the Religious Landscape Study by Pew Research Forum (2014) nearly 8 in 10 (79%) of African-Americans identify as Christian, and historically faith has always been a central part of the culture of Black folk.

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However, a quick perusal of typical holistic wellness offerings in treatment programs, especially those run by majority culture, reveal that they may be vastly more popular in those spaces, but not necessarily in Black and Brown spaces. While not seeking to make a judgment of those practices, the reality is that those who desire to closely adhere to fundamental tenets of their traditional faith find that some of these other spiritual practices are not in alignment with how they practice their faith. Oftentimes, faith believing folk have to decide whether or not to participate in wellness modalities that are contrary to their faith, which in and of itself can be stressful, or suppress part of their cultural identity to appear palatable to majority culture and fulfill mandated treatment plans. Black women in particular frequently find themselves in this sort of predicament in a variety of situations on a daily basis (see the work highlighted in “Shifting” by Charisse Jones and Kumea Shorter-Gooden). In our view, this is another form of harm and trauma. 

The Faithbridge Healing Model allows and celebrates the full expression of healing with faith in an authentically cultural way.