Fostering Connection and Authenticity in Online Counselor Education through Relational Pedagogy

Abstract

1 Adams State University, Alamosa, CO, USA 2 Adams State University, Alamosa, CO, USA What does it mean to connect with our students? How can we think about this sense of connection in a rapidly changing digital age? As posed by Harriet Schwartz (2019), these questions stress the notion of mattering in online and distance education. Given the influx of hybrid and online Counselor Education programs in recent years (Snow et al., 2018), it is paramount to reevaluate our pedagogical approaches to counselor education. One framework for training counselors is Relational Cultural Theory (RCT; Jordan, 2010; 2017). Within the counselor education literature, RCT has been applied to experiential coursework (Lertora et al., 2020), supervision (Lenz, 2014), and doctorallevel advising (Purgason et al., 2016). A relational approach posits learning as a byproduct of the interaction between people through mutual empathy, empowerment, and authenticity (Lertora et al., 2020). In nurturing these connections, students are empowered and develop a sense of self-worth. Educators, in turn, flourish professionally and personally, potentially reducing attrition and burnout. Moreover, the teacher-student relationship demands an exploration of inherent power dynamics (Schwartz, 2019). Education requires educators to actively address the issues of race, gender, and class. Instructors must not replicate the power structures; when doing so, systems of privilege are further rooted (hooks, 1994). However, “we are far less aware of our identities that grant us privilege than those that bring marginalization, discrimination, hate, and violence” (Schwartz, 2019, p. 7). Instructors also need to name the power difference in the professor-student relationship as full transparency is critical. As hooks (1994) described, “professors who expect students to share confessional narratives but who are themselves unwilling to share are exercising power in a manner that could be coercive” (p. 21). Indeed, having a sense of vulnerability is necessary for the relational space to grow and flourish.