DIGEST-Volume10.4-FULL

15 TPC Digest | TPC Digest profession. To do so, advisors require a strong knowledge base grounded on theoretical foundations. The present article provides advisors with a theoretically sound and research-grounded framework to enhance their advisory practice using relational cultural theory (RCT). R CT is grounded on the premise that humans need social connection throughout the life span, therefore centering the connections between beings at the core of human development. The RCT framework provides a powerful tool for the enhancement of advising across disciplines in higher education, particularly within counselor education and supervision. Consistent with the ethical demands of the advising role, counselor educators who can engage with their advisees through this lens may find that they are attending to the complex interactions between the multiple domains involved in advising, fostering greater personal and professional growth within themselves and their advisees. T he application of RCT to a case example provides a practical demonstration of possible strategies that may be employed by an RCT-oriented advisor. In this particular case, the crucial elements before and after a rupture in the advising relationship are discussed as well as specific points of entry in which the RCT-oriented advisor may choose to intervene. Overall, the various strategies offered highlight the opportunity for new advising techniques to be implemented to promote creative ways of meeting the ever-increasing demands of higher education. Kirsis A. Dipre, MA, NCC, is a doctoral candidate at Syracuse University. Melissa Luke, PhD, NCC, ACS, LMHC, is Associate Dean for Research and Dean’s Professor at Syracuse University. Correspondence may be addressed to Kirsis A. Dipre, 130 College Place, Suite 440, Syracuse, NY 13210, kadipre@syr.edu.