Purest Forms Week 9Consultation
In this final week of preparation for the in-residence component of
this course, you consider how consultation and supervision are similar
and different.
As discussed in previous weeks, a supervisor is ultimately
responsible for the quality of care; therefore, the supervisor must
have relevant data to make informed decisions. Many supervisors watch
videotapes of a supervisee’s therapy sessions and give feedback about
the supervisee’s techniques, as well as recommendations for treatment
planning. Clients are aware that the supervisor is ultimately in charge
and directing the provided care.
In contrast, consultation involves a psychologist who is responsible
for providing treatment and who seeks feedback from a colleague. The
consultant is aware of information provided only by the treating
clinician in a consultation. This lack of access to information may
result in less accurate feedback but can provide the consultant some
flexibility and creativity that might otherwise be missing if the
consultant was responsible for the treatment. The
consultant understands that he or she does not have all the facts
and therefore must rely on the treating clinician’s good-faith judgment
to incorporate suggestions into the treatment plan. One of the
“purest” forms of consulting is the case method of instruction, whereby a
workshop faculty member is asked about a case and provides feedback
only within the context of that workshop. In such a situation, the
instructor is providing instruction, and this activity is not synonymous
with treatment.
For this Discussion, review the Learning Resources from Weeks 1
through 9. Reflect on the challenges you described in last week’s
Discussion and consider strategies you may employ to address these
challenges. Then, think about a topic, skill, or concept related to
supervision and/or consultation that you are most looking forward to
reviewing during the in-residence component of the course and explain
why.
Write a description of the
challenges you identified in last week’s Discussion. Then, explain
strategies you might use to address these challenges. Finally, explain
which topic, skill, or concept from this week’s readings and any other
issues or topics that you are most looking forward to reviewing
in-residence and explain why.