In this presentation, we offer an integral (Esbjorn-Hargens, 2009; Wilber, 2001) model of student advising and support that integrates elements of Integral Theory, a model of holistic student support from the Community College Research Center at Columbia University (2024), an appreciative advising model (Bloom et al.), and a wholistic, Indigenous framework developed by Dr. Michelle Pidgeon (2016). Our thesis is that wholistic student advising and support need to consider both the person and the context(s). We offer both theory and the practical applications of theory.

‘The person,’ means a holistic perspective that considers all the ‘lines of development’ (Wilber, 2001) that comprise human beingness: the somatic, aesthetic-creative, emotional, intellectual, relational, moral, and spiritual parts of our beings that we can develop and nurture. The whole person. ‘The context(s),’ means the many contexts and environments that surround, envelope, and influence individual and collective human development: sociocultural, political, historical, economic, religious, and environmental dynamics/forces and the worldviews emerging out of these various contexts.

In our session, we wish to outline the theoretical dimensions of our model, share narratives from our experiences related to the issues we raise, outline how the model can be applied in practice, and workshop the model so participants can offer feedback and suggestions for application and improvement.