ABSTRACT
In the mid-1990s, cultural attunement to counseling was gaining traction. Patricia Hayes introduced the use of an acronym to structure the lens through which counselors and their clients view their worlds. The following year, D’Andrea and Daniels (1997) expanded upon that model with the RESPECTFUL model, comprised of 10 individual tenants: Religion, Economic Status, Sexual Identity, Psychological Maturity, Ethnic Identity, Chronological Development, Trauma History, Unique Physical Characteristics, Location of Residence and Language Barriers. With the idyllic single-income, married, heterosexual couple with 2.5 children and a white picket fence in our rear-view mirror, we now have a broader definition of the American family which is explored in this chapter through the framework of the RESPECTFUL model. We use this model to provide insight into how integral privilege is to seeking alternative options to parenthood and additional barriers that may exist for some experiencing reproductive loss.
