African immigrants in the United States account for a rapidly growing population of immigrants in the country, constituting about 4% of the foreign-born population. The group has seen a significant population increase from 881,300 in 2010 to 1,606,914 in 2010. African immigrants are, however, not a monolithic population, as this number and diversity increase, there continues to be a growing need for mental health professionals to assess the peculiar mental health-care needs and practices of this population. The primary African immigrant groups in the United States include Nigerians, Ethiopians, Egyptians, Ghanaians, and Kenyans. The delivery of optimal mental health care to this population involves a thorough comprehension of factors that influence mental health in African immigrant populations. Such factors include the ethnocultural background of families, the diversity of religions, immigration status, socioeconomic status, language, family and sibling subsystems, identity issues, and various forms of mental health stigma. Due to the complexity of these socioeconomic and cultural nuances, the mental illness presented by adolescents and young adult Africans is often atypical and their treatment requires appropriate cultural competence by physicians and mental health professionals.

This article chronicles how a conducive environment creates a restoration of dignity to disadvantaged mathematics foundation learners. The variation theory was used to provide the sequential building blocks required to learn foundation mathematics to Grade 1–5 learners in a district in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. A sample of 23 learners participated in this study. Structured worksheets covering mathematics content for Grade 1–5 were prepared for the learners to practice after school in a homework club on their own, in rural settings in a study that followed qualitative methods. Results indicated how the creation of a supportive and caring environment developed the learners’ resilience, restored their dignity and increased their competence in an understanding of basic mathematics concepts. The learners also developed good relationships with each other while they shared information and helped others to restore their dignity and led them ultimately to the independence of acquiring other mathematical skills and ownership of the learning experiences. The intervention with the after-school program may serve as a suitable environment for the disadvantaged learners and restore their competence in understanding mathematics concepts while providing a platform for learners to share knowledge gained with the underprivileged ones.

This article discusses Jungian psychology as a debated, and exclusionary field of psychology using Carl Jung’s influential work to provide light on analytical or environmental psychology, and to present the theoretical rapprochement between Jungian and Freudian theories[4]. A succinct look at the realm of analytical psychology is still pertinent looking at the role of environmental psychology considering several demands from the modern world. To position Jung in minority spheres, where most of his critics have seen expressions of discrimination, and anti-Semitism, the key principles of Jungian theories will be highlighted considering various researchers to ascertain whether there is limited knowledge for this mindful inquiry[2]. In terms of environmental psychology, Jung’s relevance is important to assess. The many perspectives espoused by Jungian advocates warrant further analysis and research, but are necessary to reflect on today’s societal needs for positive, environmental, humanistic psychology, and potential creation of the psyche as a social transformational tool in psychoanalysis.