Relational-cultural theory (RCT) was conceived after the publication of Jean Baker Miller's (1976) Toward a New Psychology of Women, a groundbreaking book that has been translated into more than 20 languages. The ideas in Miller's book emerged from her clinical practice with women in which she noted that the centrality of relationships in her clients' lives was inconsistent with the traditional theories of counseling and human development she had been taught in medical school. According to Miller and other feminist theorists of the time, these traditional theoretical models emphasize individuation, separation, and autonomy as markers of emotional maturity and psychological health.Miller (1976), like other multicultural and feminist theorists, suggested that a lack of understanding of the contextual and relational experiences of women, people of color, and marginalized men led many mental health professionals to pathologize these individuals by misunderstanding and devaluing how these important factors contribute to the psychological well-being of all people (Robb, 2006). Consequently, RCT complements the multicultural/social justice movement by (a) identifying how contextual and sociocultural challenges impede individuals' ability to create, sustain, and participate in growth-fostering relationships in therapy and life and (b) illuminating the complexities of human development by offering an expansive examination of the development of relational competencies over the life span. Challenges to developing such relational competencies in today's socially stratified and oppressive culture are highlighted throughout this article.Over the past 3.5 decades, Miller (1976) and other multicultural, feminist, and social justice advocates and theorists (Daniels, 2007; Ivey, D'Andrea, Ivey, & Simek-Morgan, 2007) have noted how traditional theories of counseling and development are built on the ideology of Western individualism that includes "hyper-competitiveness and deterministic control" (Walker, 2003, p. 1). Such an ideology is based, in part, on the myths of "mastery," "self-sufficiency," and the idea "that people assume their places in the existing societal hierarchy by virtue of merit" (Jordan, 1999, p. 3).RCT further complements the multicultural/social justice movement by serving as an alternative theoretical framework from which mental health professionals can explore how issues related to sex role socialization, power, dominance, marginalization, and subordination affect the mental health and relational development of all people. The goal of this article is to demonstrate how RCT complements the process of multicultural/social justice counseling competency development by providing an additional theoretical framework that supports the fourth force in counseling and psychology. Core Tenets and Assumptions of RCTRCT is a comprehensive theory of counseling and development that emerged from the notion that traditional models of human development and psychotherapy do not accurately address the relational experiences of w...

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The authors present a model of student development that illuminates the process students undergo as they deal with gender issues in counselor training. The model is based on the foundational concepts of the Relational‐Cultural Model. Methods of teaching are discussed to provide counselor educators with strategies for facilitating mutual growth with patience and compassion.

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PERSPECTIVES PERSPECTIVES is a special feature included in this issue of Journal of Creativity in Mental Health that provides mental health professionals with an opportunity to discuss their positions on a variety of related topics. The focus of this column is therapist adversity and the myriad of ways that therapists must negotiate these iife-changing challenges while in their roie as therapist. Indeed, therapists are faced with profound losses during the time that they serve as helpers in their practices. Dana Comstock shares perspectives from Miriam Greenspan on the life and adversity of a therapist. ABSTRACT. Painful situations arise during the education and careers of counselors and therapists. Most theoretical orientations fail to address how Dana Comstock is Professor and Chair at