Mental health articles

The practice of consultation probably dates back to prehistoric humankind. Even before
the emergence of spoken language, someone more skilled at hunting could have assisted
someone less skilled on becoming a more efficient hunter. As a serious and
formal area of systematic study, however, the complex field of psychological consultation
based on scientific principles began in the late twentieth century.
The National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology
(NCSPP) considers consultation to be a core competency in the training of psychologists.
Consultation is defined as “A planned, collaborative interaction that is an explicit intervention process based on principles and procedures found within psychology and related disciplines in which the psychologist does not have direct control of the change process” . For systemic competency, the NCSPP expects
psychologists to develop the capacity to use a systemic epistemology, systemic assessment
processes, interpersonal relationship skills, and systemic intervention to assist larger social systems and organizations.
Another definition might be that mental health consultation, especially when working with organizations, is the act of applying psychological principles and understanding to promote the accomplishment of organizational goals. The accomplishment of these goals always depends on being able to mobilize the energies, dedication, teamwork
and synergy of its workforce. Organizations with the desire to achieve sustainable,
long-term growth and prosperity should have the development and fulfillment of individual growth as a part of their mission. The most precious resource of an organization is its people, and understanding and being able to work with people is the most important quality in skillful management and leadership. The task of the mental health
professional when consulting with organizations is to offer ways to accomplish goals that heighten productivity through the effective management of people.

Definitions of Consultant
“A consultant is a person with special knowledge, skills, and talent, who makes needed expertise available to a client for a fee.” This is perhaps the broadest definition of a consultant, and is applicable to any consultant in any field of knowledge.
“A consultant is someone who helps people deal with their organizational issues and opportunities, in order to accomplish strategic directions” (Widdis, 2005).
This is a general business definition of consultant, perhaps best capturing the
function of the management consultant: someone who works directly with the
management and leadership teams in an organization to improve performance.
“A consultant is an expert who charges you for looking at your watch and
telling you what time it is.” Though this is said tongue-in-cheek, sometimes a consultant may feel that he or she is receiving a lot of money for seemingly
commonsense information. However, some clients are happy to pay someone with more expertise to oversee new projects, if only for the emotional comfort of knowing that help is close at hand should the need arise.

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