Supervision vs Consultation

This includes such things as being privy to details of cases , helping with interventions , monitoring client progress , addressing ethical issues and assessing clients' overall quality of care in therapy . A consultant is a professional who assists a therapist by providing feedback and suggestions regarding a particular case .

A consultant usually has a field of expertise and is hired to problem-solve a particular case . A consultant usually has a field of expertise and is hired to problem-solve a specific issue . The main differences between the two are Problem Identification A supervisor helps to identify a supervisee's problems . A consultant is hired after a problem has been identified .

Roles A supervisor wears a few different hats and performs administrative , educational and supportive functions . A consultant only plays an educational role . Authority A supervisor has administrative authority over the supervisee and can enforce the supervisee's compliance with procedures .

A consultant has no administrative authority over the therapist , so the therapist can choose to disregard the consultant's feedback or suggestions . Legal liability A supervisor is legally responsible for the supervisee's actions . A consultant is not legally liable for the therapist's actions .

Focus and responsibility A supervisor is responsible for the supervisee's overall work performance and professional development . A consultant is hired to provide feedback about a specific issue . Supervision is geared toward training and supporting new therapists in an effort to control the quality of service that clients receive in therapy . Supervisors play a variety of roles .

In their administrative role , supervisors provide supervisees with work structure and resources that allow them to be successful in their practice . In their educational role , supervisors provide training to their supervisees in order to increase their knowledge and skill set and , ultimately , ability to perform their jobs effectively and independently .

In their supportive role , supervisors ensure that supervisees have appropriate psychological and interpersonal resources available to them so they can perform their jobs effectively . On an emotional level on an emotional level , while undergoing supervision , a therapist must notify all clients that his or her supervisor has access to all client records .

This is part of the informed consent process . The client must also be provided with information related to the supervisor's qualifications , the supervisor's and supervisee's objectives , approach to treatment , responsibility and limits to confidentiality . Gatekeeper Issues vs Transitory Issues . A supervisor acts as a gatekeeper to the counseling profession .

This means that it's their ethical responsibility to monitor and evaluate a supervisee's knowledge , skills and professional qualities and prevent individuals from becoming therapists when they lack the necessary professional competence to perform in that role . A supervisor may identify transitory issues when overseeing a supervisee . These are not as serious as gatekeeper issues .

These can be resolved through education and discussion with the supervisee . Consultation is the model or process by which one professional seeks out the advice and recommendations of another . Consultants are often retained by experienced therapists for their specific expertise in a particular area and develop an ongoing relationship for case review and consultation .

There are a few goals that a consultant consistently works toward Assisting the therapist in understanding the current problem at hand and improving the therapist's knowledge and skill in resolving the problem .

Equipping the therapist with knowledge and skills to deal with similar future problems that may arise , with similar future problems that may arise Remaining focused on the therapist's work performance , not acting as a source of emotional support . It's important to note that a consultee is under no obligation to accept the suggestions offered by a consultant .

Let's take a look at an example . Connie was hired by the Children's Center to consult with their counseling department . She is an expert in cognitive behavioral techniques with children and has pioneered a new protocol for dealing with behavioral problems in the school setting .

The counseling staff has experience in a variety of techniques and appreciates the opportunity to learn different ways to deal with challenging and complex cases . Jennifer presented a case .

Sarah , age seven , has difficulty with her schoolwork , following directions both at school and home , violent outbursts with family members and physical altercations with peers and authority figures at school . Jennifer is trained in play therapy but still has great difficulty drawing Sarah out . In session , connie made recommendations specific to her new proven protocol .

Jennifer attempted to follow the recommendations but had little success . In the following four sessions . But had little success in the following four sessions . She returned to her treatment format , in which she was comfortable , knowledgeable and accomplished in her interventions , but did make some alterations based on the group's consultative feedback .

In this example , jennifer sought the consultation of Connie in the departmental group . She did not have success and returned to what was familiar and consistent with her training , but did integrate some of the new ideas into her style . Jennifer is an experienced therapist and is not bound by a consultant to alter her treatment methods .

However , she can enrich her practice by learning new techniques and her clients will likely benefit from her expanded knowledge base .

In this model outlined by Edgar Schein , a consultant would not be called in to fix problems , instead to help the consultee learn how to identify and fix the issues themselves , so there will be no dependence on outsiders to have to be called in to save the day .

In Schein's model , consultants encourage self-sufficiency by helping the original issues get resolved and teaching the consultee the how-tos for handling future issues . Shine postulated seven stages in process consultation Communication process building and maintaining a group . Group problem-solving and decision-making , group norms and culture .

Leading and influencing , appraising performance , inter-group process . Gerald Kaplan laid out his model , which is grounded in psychodynamic theory , as the consultant helping the consultee find and identify the issues , stressing that the consultee must actively participate in the process .

He placed high priority on confidentiality , not only from consultant to consultee but also with upper management , therefore building a foundation of trust to help reveal and address the issues without fear of recrimination .

Kaplan described four models of mental health consultation Client-centered case consultation A consultee needs help assessing or diagnosing a client and needs to consult a specialist to assess the client and offer suggestions to the consultee .

Consultee-centered case consultation A consultee who has a difficult client needs help due to their own professional shortcomings , for example , lack of knowledge , lack of objectivity , lack of self-confidence , etc . Program-centered Administrative Consultation Similar to Client-Centered but deals with developing and implementing programs at the administrative organizational level .

And Consultee-centered administrative consultation . The consultant deals with the administrative level , discovering shortcomings and other issues to guide them to discover ways to improve their organizational standards . It's in there .