A Qualitative Examination of the Impact of Culturally Responsive Educational Practices on the Psychological Well-Being of Students of Color Blaire Cholewa • Rachael D. Goodman • Cirecie West-Olatunji • Ellen Amatea Ó Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014 Abstract Scholars have shown that educational experiences within the classroom may marginalize students of color which may result in psychological distress. However, the utilization of culturally responsive educational practices (CRE) can create environments in which marginalized students can thrive not only academi- cally, but psychologically. The authors provide a qualitative case study examining the culturally responsive practices of one teacher through a relational cultural theory (RCT) lens. The findings suggest that CRE practices may serve as psychological interventions that are associated with decreased psychological distress and increased psychological well-being amongst students of color. Specifically, students demon- strated behaviors depicting a number of RCT’s five good things, including zest, empowerment, connection, clarity, and self-worth, that improve psychological well- being according to RCT. Keywords Cultural responsiveness Á Psychological well-being Á Relational cultural theory B. Cholewa (&) Counselor Education Department, Kean University, 306 Hennings Hall, 1000 Morris Ave, Union, NJ 07083, USA e-mail: bcholewa@kean.edu R. D. Goodman Counseling and Development Program, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA C. West-Olatunji Counseling Program, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA E. Amatea Department of Counselor Education, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA 123 Urban Rev DOI 10.1007/s11256-014-0272-y