Writing in the Journal of African American Men, Don Elligan, a clinical psychologist at the Boston Center for Multicultural Training in Psychology, recommends using rap in the mental health treatment of young black men. In "Rap Therapy: A Culturally Sensitive Approach to Psychotherapy with Young African American Men," Elligan reports on one clinician's breakthrough with an angry teenage boy whose father had been murdered after serving jail time for drug dealing. After sharing raps with the therapist, the boy composed a rap revealing his strong feelings for his mother, helping decrease his violent outbursts at school. But despite such successes, Elligan warns, "If the therapist is unable to effectively meet the expectations of Rap Therapy, it is not clinically indicated for the therapist to attempt its application."

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