Using the Educator-Student Relationship in Mental Health Education to Teach Relational Processes

Clinical education requires both conceptual mastery and relational aptitude. Developing therapeutic presence through content mastery alone may fall short because relational skills are learned through attuned relationships. Relational teaching in mental health education espouses the use of the educator-student relationship to foster relational skills. This scoping review implemented a constant comparison method to identify essential components of relational teaching in mental health education between 2003 and 2025 and examine how they work together to promote students' development. Analysis of 15 articles on relational teaching in mental health education revealed four essential components: role clarity, restoration, reflexive responsivity, and (co)regulation. I organized these findings into a model, The Relational Teaching Clock, which depicts the relationship between these concepts as interdependent, framing (co)regulation as a foundational principle of relational teaching. This model challenges dominant narratives that espouse competition and independent success by inviting educators to facilitate relationships with students that intentionally promote students' personal healing. The Relational Teaching Clock provides a concise model, based on existing evidence, to guide the development of relational skills necessary for therapeutic relationships.