types of mental health consultation

types of mental health consultation There are many types of consultation, depending on the setting and the desired goals.
These types are not mutually exclusive. Consultants may choose to specialize in a specific type, may work in some or all of the following areas, or may creatively develop unique practice niches.

Clinical Consultation
Clinical consultation is the area that is most familiar to mental health professionals. It might include an initial session with a client to determine suitability for working with
the therapist, a referral from another department for an assessment of someone else’s therapy client, a session with a colleague to share special expertise, or a session with parents when treating a child.
Mental Health Consultation
Mental health consultation involves the prevention of mental health problems. The Community Mental Health Centers Act of 1963 required mental health centers that received federal monies to implement programs of consultation with other agencies
and professionals in their communities. Mental health professionals were generally not trained in this capacity, and the community often resented their advice .
Caplan (1970) was a pioneer in the field of mental health consultation. He conceptualized the role of the mental health consultant as one who helps other professionals
work more effectively with their clients around four key areas:
1. Lack of knowledge: The consultee may simply not have the knowledge base to understand the problem at hand. The consultant serves the role of teacher, providing
education and information resources to the consultee.
2. Lack of skill: The consultee may not have the therapeutic skills to deal with the client’s presenting issues. The consultant serves the role of teacher, enhancing
the consultee’s skills through discussing “what-if ” scenarios, demonstrations, and role-play.
3. Lack of confidence: Often, the consultee may be performing very well, but is dealing with a complicated case or has little experience with the interventions being used. The consultant may simply need to provide support and reassurance that the
consultee is doing well, and may offer some minor suggestions for improvement.
4. Lack of objectivity: When working with clients on material of an intimate and personal nature, it may be difficult for the therapist to remain objective, particularly if the topics are bringing up unresolved issues for the therapist. The consultant can provide a fresh perspective for the consultee, relatively free of the complications of transference and countertransference.
Behavioral Consultation
Bergan (1977) developed a consultation model based on the principles of behavioral psychology. Harrison (2004, pp. 189–190) nicely summarizes the characteristics of behavioral
consultation approaches:
• Behavioral consultation approaches are indirect services and usually are focused on cases and clients even when conducted in organizational settings .
• Behavioral consultation approaches are most often used to problem-solve as well as enhance consultee competence.

• The goals of most behavioral approaches are to alter the client’s behaviors, to change
the consultee’s behaviors, and to produce changes in organizations.
• The length of the consulting relationship varies from minutes to months .
• In all cases, consultants should have a degree of expert knowledge in learning principles
and utilize social learning theory and behavioral technology principles to design, implement,
and assess interventions .
• The consultant /consultee relationship ranges from collegial to the consultant having
some control in the relationship (Bergan & Kratochwill, 1990; Myrick, 1977).
• The consultant’s major role ranges from facilitator (Myrick, 1977) to expert who imparts psychological information and principles to consultees.
• A primary task of the consultant ranges from helping the consultee problem solve (Myrick, 1977) to enhancing the probability that the consultee will accept the consultant’s
recommendations (Bergan, 1977; Bergan & Kratochwill, 1990).
• In behavioral consultation approaches, the client or consultee “goals” or both need to be
defined in behavioral terms.
• Most approaches emphasize direct observation techniques (Keller, 1981) and focus on
present, current inf luences on overt behavior.
• In most cases, the interventions and evaluations lend themselves to empirical testing.