Consultation Competence Research Articles

An Expanded View on Consultation Competencies for Educators Serving Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Exceptional Students

The purpose of this article is to define educational consultation, review competencies needed by educational consultants, and specify those competencies essential for educators who serve children with special needs who are from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Essential collaborative consultation competencies for regular and special educators.

This study was designed to identify and validate essential collaborative consultation competencies needed by both regular and special educators interacting to meet the educational needs of learning disabled and other handicapped students in the regular classroom. Using a Delphi technique, a 100-member interdisciplinary, expert panel from 47 states identified 47 competencies in eight categories as essential to the consultation process. Those competencies receiving highest panel ratings included skills in interactive communication, collaborative problem solving, and personal characteristics. Skills in evaluating the effectiveness of consultation were also deemed essential. Competencies receiving ratings indicating less importance to the consultation process included consultation research, theory, models, and systems analysis. Staff development competencies were rated as important, but not essential. Of particular note was the intense level of panel participation, involvement in competency generation and modification, and “ownership” in the identification and validation of the essential competencies. The development of a preservice/inservice curriculum for training both regular and special educators in collaborative consultation, based upon the essential competencies validated in this study, is discussed. Future research to determine the impact of joint, systematic training of regular and special educators in consultation skills is emphasized.

State Departments of Education Policies on Consultation in Special Education: The State of the States

Recent data indicate that more than two-thirds of our nation's handicapped students are receiving the majority of their education in regular classes. This investigation examined state departments of education policies on consultation in five special education program and personnel areas: (a) special education service delivery models, (b) consultation roles/responsibilities of the special educator, (c) consultation competencies of the special educator, (d) certification involving consultation, and (e) job titles including consultation. Results revealed a significant need for improved policies and leadership by state departments of education to assist local education agencies in developing and/or improving teacher consultation programs to provide educational support services to handicapped students in mainstreamed classes. Specific suggestions are made and resources identified to assist state and local education agency officials in responding to this critical need in a timely manner.

Ethics of Consultation

This article presents an overview of the ethical issues relevant to the counseling psychologist who includes consultation as one of his or her areas of expertise. The existing Ethical Principles of Psychologists are not readily adapted to the practice of consultation; therefore, the possible ethical pitfalls need to be highlighted. Such pitfalls might be viewed as clustering in two global categories: (1) the competencies that the consultant brings to the consulting relationship and (2) the responsibilities that the consultant assumes as he or she provides services to consultees. Under the domain of consultant competencies, the major issues are education and training in consultation; identifying who or what is the client/consultee system and to whom or what the consultant has major responsibility; and determining client/consultee needs and goals as compared to consultant needs and goals. Under the domain of consultant responsibilities, the major responsibilities/issues are presenting qualifications accurately and ethically; negotiating a contract; knowing and respecting client rights; using assessment data; and conducting research and evaluation studies. The issues of confidentiality and informed consent also receive special emphasis.