HELP! APA Formatting On The Web

Jul
29
2010
by Tamara Suttle

Writing and publishing can help you establish credibility, build your professional reputation, and position you as one who makes lasting contributions to your profession.  All of these can, in turn, contribute to your success  in private practice.Image of Person Sits on HELP

Whether you are still in graduate school or you are already hard at work out in the professional world, if you are in need of online tools to help you format your works in APA style, here are some resources for you:

If you have other online resources related to APA formatting, I hope you will share them below!

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Online Resources For Evidence-Based Treatment In Counseling

Jul
27
2010
by Tamara Suttle

Although I’m not a fan of  “manualized” treatment of clients, Image of Searchingaccording to professional standards of care and the American Counseling Association’s Code of Ethics (Section C on Professional Responsibility), a professional counselor has a “responsibility to engage in counseling practices that are based on rigorous research methodologies.”

Here are some online resources to help you quickly identify researched based methodologies:

And, if you happen to know of other online resources for evidence-based treatment in counseling, I hope you will share them below!

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What Should Happen In Your Consultation Group?

Jul
25
2010
by Tamara Suttle

Now that you know that you need to engage in clinical consultation on a regular basis and you know how to put your own peer consultation group together, do you know what is supposed to happen during your meeting with your consultation group? You actually have lots of options but my point is that you need to plan ahead of time how you want your meetings to proceed.  Otherwise, it can end up looking more like a clinical coffee klatch than clinical consultation.

Start with the end in mind. Consider what youImage of Diverse Group of People want to accomplish at your meetings.  Do you want feedback from your peers?  Do you want to learn about a  particular theory or methodology?  Do you want to formally staff cases?  Are you looking for resources for a particular client?  All of these are possible but you’ll need to structure your meetings accordingly.

It’s about you and your performance. Clinical consultation is an opportunity for you to seek and receive feedback about your performance from other professionals that you respect.  Give some thought to how you (and the others in your group) want to receive that feedback.  Is the culture of your consultation group such that unsolicited feedback is acceptable?  Do you need to be invited to provide difficult feedback before you actually do so?  Some might say that by virtue of simply being in a consultation group, that all feedback is welcome.  However, unless stated up front (and again as new professionals join you), you will need to state it if that is the case.  This is especially important for those who are not familiar with the use of consultation groups.

Present clinical cases professionally. If you are going to focus on formally staffing cases (and even if you are not), you may find it helpful to agree upon a structure for presenting your cases to your group.  There is no one “right” way but agreeing ahead of time will make sure everyone is covering the basics.

Share the time. One of the decisions to be made is how will you share the time you have allotted for your consultation group. Does everyone get a chance to share?  Or, are a select few participants assigned to present cases?  You don’t want to simply “wing it” only to discover that no one or everyone wants to talk.

Decide on the structure of your meetings. Do you want to allow time for a “check in?”  Do you want to jump right in to clinical discussion?  Do you want time to to share resources and events?  By deciding and agreeing on this ahead of time, you will avoid your meeting turning into a social hour.

These are some of the considerations we took into account while creating our consultation group.    Can you think of other things that might be helpful?


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Filed under: Clinical Supervision | Consultation, Professional Development, Risk Management Tagged with ,
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How To Put Together A Consultation Group That ROCKS!

Jul
19
2010
by Tamara Suttle

I’ve told you that every mental health professional needs regular consultation and I’ve told you about the benefits of peer consultation groups.  Today I’m going to tell you how to put together a peer consultation group that ROCKS! Here are some things for you to consider as you put your own peer consultation group together.

  • Mix it up.  Diversity in the composition of your consultation group matters.  It keep things interesting and increases the likelihood that biases are not overlooked. Those differences can help you stretch beyond your usual thinking and outside of your typical comfort zone.
  • Consider safety.  You are going to be talking about your strengths and your weaknesses in a consultation group.  Although the discussion will most often be structured around your clients, the purpose of your consultation group is to expand and support your choices and your behaviors in therapy.  As such, you are going to have your own blind spots and vulnerabilities pointed out and talked about.  It’s important to choose colleagues that you can learn to trust.
  • Similarity matters.  If the individuals in your group are too different from you in their disciplines, ethics, or processes, you may find that there is no sense of safety in which to discuss your own vulnerabilities.Image of People around a Table
  • Expertise matters, too.  Look for colleagues that know more than you in at least one or two areas so that you can trust their feedback when you need it.
  • Plan on mentoring. Including colleagues who know less than you in a particular area allows you an opportunity to mentor others in the field.  Take advantage the mentoring that you can provide and take advantage of the mentoring that you can receive!
  • Size of group. Just like in group therapy, I think 7-9 is optimal.  This affords for someone to miss a group and you still have a group.  And, it’s not so many that you get overlooked in the group.
  • Stable composition. A consultation group functions best when the composition remains stable.  In my current group, we must unanimously vote someone in  before they can join us.
  • Frequency of meetings. I prefer peer consultation groups that meet on a regular schedule.  Mine meets monthly.  Of course, we are free to consult by phone in between our regularly scheduled meetings.
  • Attendance. Sketchy attendance at peer consultation groups can sabotage your group.  When forming your consultation group, set the expectation for a commitment to attend each month.  Obviously exceptions will crop up in anyone’s schedule.  However, consistent attendance and full participation will go a long way toward building trust and confidence in your group.

So now that you know what I consider to be important when putting your consultation group together, drop me a note below and tell me about yours.  Did I miss any important elements?  Is yours decidedly different?



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9 Benefits Of A Peer Consultation Group

Jul
15
2010
by Tamara Suttle

Every mental health professional needs consultationImage of Green Number 9 on a regular basis.  I wrote about that in my last post.  If you work in an agency or organization, it’s likely that consultation is built into the system.  However, if you have ventured out into private practice, you have to work a little harder to get your consultation needs met.

Many therapists choose to pay an individual counselor for their clinical consultation on a regular basis.  If that is what you prefer, then you can expect to pay whatever that therapist’s usual and customary hourly fee is for his / her consulting and therapeutic services.

However, here are nine benefits to creating a peer consultation group to meet your consultation needs:

  1. As a solo practitioner, you remain isolated most of the day except for seeing your clients.  A peer consultation group allows you to meet some of your basic social needs.
  2. It also exposes you to new / different ideas, perspectives, and energies.
  3. It allows you to learn about other therapists’ business and clinical practices.
  4. It may give you a broader range of professionals to refer to.
  5. It exposes you to more professionals who may refer to you.
  6. It exposes you indirectly to more resources in your community.
  7. It can serve as a knowledge bank for clinical issues that you are not familiar with.
  8. It can serve as a check point for potential ethical issues.
  9. It’s free!

Have I convinced you yet of the huge benefits to participating in a peer consultation group?  In my next post, I’ll tell you How to Create a Peer Consultation Group that ROCKS!

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