Extending a Respectful Word of Thanks: Concluding Comments

Having completed the task of compiling this special issue of the Journal of Counseling & Development, we wanted to briefly comment on the finished product. In doing so, we address the strengths and limitations of this special issue as well as acknowledge the contributors of this collective effort. We decided to use the RESPECTFUL (R = religious/spiritual issues, E = economic class issues, S = sexual identity issues, P = psychological developmental issues, E = ethnic/racial identity issues, C = chronological issues, T = trauma and threats to well-being, F = family issues, U = unique physical issues, L = language and location of residence issues) counseling model (D'Andrea & Daniels, 2001) to assess the strengths and limitations of this special issue because it succinctly describes the multidimensional nature of human development from a multicultural perspective. It does so by listing 10 key factors that affect people's mental health and sense of well-being. Using this model as a guide, we offer the following assessment of this special issue and extend a word of thanks to the authors. R: Religious/spiritual issues. We greatly appreciate the way Duran, Firehammer, and Gonzalez (2008) addressed spirituality issues in their article. However, given the high level of religious bigotry that exists in the United States, we also hoped to include an article that focused on Jewish and Muslim issues. Thus, we were disappointed when the authors of a manuscript on Jewish and Muslim issues decided not to address changes recommended by reviewers in a draft of their work. Clearly, these issues are in need of much more attention than has been addressed in the multicultural counseling literature. E: Economic class issues. We are grateful to Smith, Foley, and Chaney (2008) for addressing three issues included in the RESPECTFUL counseling model (D'Andrea & Daniels, 2001): issues related to economic class, ableism, and heterosexism. The concise manner in which Laura Smith addressed the complex problem of classism may lead counselor educators and practitioners like us to direct more attention to this factor in training programs and clinical practices. S: Sexual identity issues. Also, in the Smith et al. (2008) article, we found Michael Chaney's perspective of heterosexism to be a vital contribution to this issue, one that has the potential to motivate more counselor educators to address this important component of multiculturalism in more deliberate and effective ways. We are also grateful to Comstock et al. (2008) as well as Crethar, Rivera, and Nash (2008) for highlighting the impact feminist counseling theories have had in advancing the multiculturai counseling movement. P: Psychological developmental issues. Zalaquett, Fuerth, Stein, Ivey, and Ivey (2008) made a powerful statement about the need to reframe the way counselors have traditionally been trained to use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., text rev.; American Psychiatric Association, 2000) by incorporating psychological development considerations into the formulation of strength-based case conceptualizations. E: Ethnic/racial identity issues. Issues related to this factor were crafted into all of the articles included in this special issue. We are particularly appreciative of the way Arredondo, Tovar-Blank, and Parham (2008) discussed the need to direct more attention to biracial and multiracial individuals and their families. Much appreciation is similarly extended to Sue et al. (2008) as well as Constantine, Smith, Redington, and Owens (2008) for sharing their groundbreaking findings about racial microaggressions. C: Chronological issues. Ageism is a serious multicultural/social justice issue that adversely affects the lives of millions of persons in our society. Yet this multicultural topic was not addressed in this special issue. It is particularly unfortunate that this omission occurred because the problem of ageism, like classism, ableism, heterosexism, and sexism, affects individuals of all ethnic/cultural/racial groups. …