DIGEST - Volume 11, Issue 3-FULL ISSUE

15 TPC Digest | TPC Digest Christian D. Chan, Camille D. Frank, Melisa DeMeyer, Aishwarya Joshi, Edson Andrade Vargas, Nicole Silverio Counseling Older LGBTQ+ Adults of Color Relational–Cultural Theory in Practice L esbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) communities have faced multiple stressors and incidents of discrimination throughout history. Across the life span, many members of LGBTQ+ communities have faced a complex set of incidents related to oppression and trauma. The litany of events throughout history and the life span accentuates a cumulative experience of oppression that produces negative effects on mental health and wellness. The cumulative experience of oppression exacerbates underlying mental health conditions and contributes to physical and mental health disparities. More importantly, researchers have connected social conditions, such as barriers to health care access and policies, as factors affecting mental health, wellness, suicidality, and substance use. Social conditions involve multiple systemic factors, such as education, housing, health care, and policies, to examine a dearth of resources, mental health shortages, lack of culturally responsive care, and barriers to access. Although researchers have concentrated their efforts on older LGBTQ+ adults over the last decade, older LGBTQ+ adults of color have received far less attention. Because older LGBTQ+ adults of color encounter racism, heterosexism, genderism, and ageism, their experiences entail unique nuances of oppression and resilience. Aside from navigating life transitions with older adulthood (e.g., retirement, grief and loss), the experiences of oppression instigate adverse effects on mental health and physical health. This issue becomes more pervasive when older LGBTQ+ adults of color might be stalled by a constant litany of oppressive experiences through racism, heterosexism, genderism, and ageism. Notably, older LGBTQ+ adults of color can face these oppressive forces simultaneously within older adulthood or cumulatively over their lifetime. The negative effects of oppression also contribute to the lack of social support and community networks. Conversely, identity affirmation and preservation of cultural identity can promote resilience, reduce the effects of oppression, and encourage older LGBTQ+ adults to seek help. R elational–cultural theory (RCT) serves as a relevant theoretical framework that integrates connections, relational awareness, meaning-making through relationships, and social context. The integration of these factors makes the theoretical framework well poised to provide opportunities for empowerment as well as awareness of oppression, injustice, and the impact on relationships across the life span. Although RCT contextualizes the effects of oppression on relationships, the theoretical framework highlights strengths, growth, and relationships as positive drivers of change. A side from using RCT as a lens for practice, the research gaps for RCT and older LGBTQ+ adults of color suggest multiple possibilities to expand research efforts across qualitative and quantitative traditions. As a theoretical framework, RCT shifts the attention to contextual factors that connect larger social forces of oppression with individual experiences of disconnection. For older LGBTQ+ adults of color, drawing from these research opportunities allows for an examination of the overlap between forms of discrimination. Researchers may develop studies that integrate elements of RCT—such as empowerment, relationship quality, and attitudes toward relationship and growth—as variables. Especially in quantitative research, integrating RCT components might yield possibilities for outcome research with older LGBTQ+ adults of color and identify relationships between RCT components and social conditions. With qualitative research, the lens of RCT may allude to potential ideas about connections to community resources, supports, and stakeholders for older LGBTQ+ adults of color. Additionally, RCT can serve as the basis for employing feminist and critical paradigms in qualitative research. Christian D. Chan, PhD, NCC, is an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Camille D. Frank, PhD, NCC, LPC, is a lecturer at Eastern Washington University. Melisa DeMeyer, PhD, NCC, LPC, is an assistant professor and program coordinator at Oregon State University-Cascades. Aishwarya Joshi, MA, NCC, LPC, is a doctoral candidate at Idaho State University. Edson Andrade Vargas, PhD, is a visiting assistant professor at Palo Alto University. Nicole Silverio, MA, NCC, LMHC, LMFT, is a doctoral student at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Correspondence may be addressed to Christian D. Chan, 228 Curry Building, Department of Counseling and Educational Development, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, P.O. Box 26170, Greensboro, NC 27402, cdchan@uncg.edu .