A Recipe for Change: Promoting Connection Through Relational-Cultural Theory

Abstract

This column is designed to underscore relationally-based creative interventions used by counselors and psychotherapists in their practices. Our intention is to provide examples of novel, innovative ways of working with clients in their efforts to deepen self-awareness and their connections with others. Although the interventions within this column will be presented in a linear “how to” manner, an essentional premise of this column is that interventions submitted for publication have a contextual and relational basis. Basic to this column is the therapeutic focus of working through latent hurts and impediments to our clients’ health and happiness. Client goals generally involve creating the requisite emotional space needed for genuine relational choice for connection to manifest. If you have created a useful therapy tool, or if you have adapted an existing creative tool that you would like to share with readers, please follow submission guidelines in the author information packet available at http://www.creativecounselor.org/Journal.html.In this article, the authors outline the key concepts and structure of a creative intervention based on relational-cultural theory (RCT). This intervention, creating a recipe for change, offers counselors a way to promote connection with clients in the therapeutic context and empower them to work through chronic disconnection and condemned isolation in their relations with others. The authors provide a case illustration to highlight the 5 phases of the intervention and its application to RCT.