Consultation – the process between two professional persons

• consultant, who is the specialist

• consultee, who invokes the consultant’s help in regard to the current work
problems

Aspects of consultation process: it is problem solving focus, tripartite in nature, and it emphasizes
improvement

Kurpius (1978) definition of consultation – a voluntary relationship between a professional helper and help-
needing individual, group or social unit in which the consultant is providing help to the client(s) in defining
and solving a work- related problem with a client or client system

Consulting characteristics:
* Content base (recognized body of knowledge)
* Goal oriented, has an objective – often work related
* governed by variable roles / relationship rules
* involves gathering data, recommending solutions & offering support
* is triadic
* based on ideologies, value systems, & ethics

- Consultation takes place in natural setting (work environment)

- Consultation services are used when a “system is in decline or crisis”
- People don’t seek counseling until they are under stress or distress
- Counseling occurs @ the area where a counselor is employed

Consultants focus on content than feelings because the process concentrates primarily on problems &
issues.

Consultants play more of a catalyst role because they do not have “direct control over the consultee or
their client”.

Four Conceptual Models:

1. expert/provision model – consultants provide a direct service to consultees who do not have
the time to deal with a particular problem
2. Doctor-patient/ prescription model – consultant advice consultees about what is wrong &
what should be done about it.
3. Mediation model – unify the services of a variety of people who are trying to solve a problem.
(school system)
4. Process consultation/collaboration model – Consultants are facilitators of the problem solving
process. Goal - get consultees involved in finding solutions to the difficulties that have with
clients

Levels of Consultation
Individual Consultation * Role-reversal process is when the client roles plays either an active or passive
consultant while the counselor role-plays the client. * Self Management skills are another form of
individual consultation.

- Self monitoring: person observe their own behavior

- Self measurement: person validate the degree to which the problem exists
- Self mediation: persons develop & implement strategies of change
Self maintenance: person monitor & measure desired effects of self management process
Group Consultation is employed when several individuals share a similar problem.

C Group – effective collaborative consultation models.------ Collaboration, Consultation, Clarification,

Confrontation, Concern, Confidentiality, and Commitment.

Stages & Attitudes in Consultation

9 stage process based on the premise that clients collaborate with consultants to work on predetermined
concerns.
1) Precontract –
2) Contract and exploration of relationship –
3) Contracting –
4) Problem identification –
5) Problem Analysis –
6) Feedback and planning
7) Implementation of the plan –
 8) Evaluation of the plan –
9) Conclusion & Termination of relationship –

Consultation along with consultant techniques and behaviors (school setting)

1) Phasing in –
2) Problem identification –
3) Implementation –
4) Follow – Up and evaluation –
5) Termination -

Consultation by school counselors also enhances over school achieve, improves student self – concept,
reduces stress in certain populations, leads to better classroom mgt. skills, and facilitates the moral growth
of students.

Adlerian-based approach –
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Behavior approach -
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Mental health approach

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Organizational development approach -

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Assessment – the procedure and processes of collecting information and measures of human behavior
outside of test data. Assessment has 6 purposes.

1. To obtain information on a clients presenting problem

2. To identify the controlling or contributing variables associated w/ the problems
3. To determine the client’s goal/expectations for counseling outcomes
4. To gather data that will be compared to data to assess/evaluate client progress
5. To educate/motivate the client
6. To use information obtained from the client to plan effective treatment strategies

Assessment can be obtained through:

• Diagnostic interviews
• Projective personality measures
• Questionnaires
• Mental status examinations
• Checklists
• Behavioral observation
• Reports from significant others

Assessment emphasizes the humanness of counseling. It is a total picture of the person being evaluated.

Structured clinical interviews consists of a list of relevant behaviors, symptoms, and events to be
addressed during an interview.

The result of the interview = assessment is made. Either diagnostic(DSM material) or descriptive
(indicating the degree of psychopathology)

Mental Status examination (MSE) used to set assessments, diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders.
Following organized objectives into a format
 Appearance
 Mood
 Speech/language
 Thought process
 Cognition
 Insight/judgement
 Diagnosis

Description of a person’s condition and not a judgement of a person’s worth.

Diagnosis may be used to guide the counselor in formulating a treatment plan.

Diagnosis can do the following:

 Describe a person’s current functioning

 Provide a common language for clinician to use in discussing the client
 Lead to consistent and continual type of care.
 Help direct the focus treatment planning
 Help counselor fit clients within their scope of treatment

Insurance companies will reimburse for counseling services only if clients are diagnosed.

When making diagnosis – counselor must observe a client for signs f symptoms, listen for complaints
and look for functional disturbances.

Must take in account:

 Cultural
 Development
 Socioeconomic
 Spiritual aspect of a client’s life
 Coping Mechanisms
 Stressors
 Learned behavior

Dual Diagnosis – individual is perceived carrying both a substance abuse and mental health diagnosis

Career Counseling as a process of assisting individuals in the development of a life-career with a focus
on the definition of the worker role and how that role interacts with other life roles

Career information - information related to the world of work that can be useful in the process of career
development, including educational, occupational, and psychosocial information related to working.
Modern term is career data meaning collection of facts about occupational and educational opportunities.

Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) now the Occupational Information Network – in depth and current
information on careers and trends

Trait and Factor Theory – it stresses that the traits of clients should first be assessed and then
systematically matched with factors inherent in various occupations.

Holland identifies 6 categories in which personality types and occupational environments can be classified

Realistic * investigative * artistic * social * enterprising * conventional

75% and 85% male workers are employed in the realistic and enterprising areas. Women are varied over
conventional, realistic, social, and recently enterprising areas.

5 stages in which contains a developmental task to be completed:

Growth * Exploration * Establishment * Maintenance * Decline

Developmental emphases on the importance f the life span in career decision making and on career
decision that are influenced by other processes and events in a person’s life.

Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) – Research regarding career choice.

Most important triads

_ self-efficacy,person’s belief regarding his ability to successfully perform a particular task.
_ the interaction between people and their environments in highly dynamic
_ Career related behavior Is influenced by 4 factors of the person
• Behavior
• Self efficacy
 • Outcome expectations
• Goals
• Genetically determined characteristics

Krumboltz - equally comprehensive; less development social-cognitive approach to career development:

 Genetic endowment
 Conditions and events in the environment
 Learning experiences
 Task approach skills
