Week 8 Blog

I found this week’s article (Kahn, 2000) to be a valuable resource for practical ways to effectively collaborate with other professionals.  It compelled me to think about how I can use these solution-focused techniques in my position as a special educator when collaborating with other teachers.  I guess I never thought about utilizing solution-focused techniques with other professionals, at least not to this extent.  I feel like people look at me as the expert, and it’s my job to give suggestions for how to intervene with students.  I often feel like a very sought-after person in my position, and many of my afternoons after school are taken up by a revolving door of teachers coming to my room and asking for suggestions or advice.  I am going to make more of a conscious effort to use these solution-focused consultation techniques because I think that could really make my life easier by helping the other teachers come up with their own strategies to help the students.

Not only do I think that the process and questions posed in the article are effective for collaborating with professionals, but I also think that this is effective when collaborating with students in order to make positive change in the classroom. Through reading the article I was inspired to come up with a game plan for my co-taught math class.  The general ed teacher with whom I work is becoming overwhelmed at the behaviors of students in the class.  The class is two periods long, and unfortunately I am there for only the second half, so often times I come in mid-situation.  We have been trying to find time to plan out a class behavior plan, but with no common planning time and lots of other obligations after school, we haven’t had the time to really sit down and hash out a plan.  I wrote a series of questions to ask the students in class this week, and just asked her if I could run a class discussion to come up with a plan together.  This then got me thinking that perhaps a focus of counselors could be on equipping teachers to effectively collaborate with students in a solution-focused way.

Before reading into the differences between consultation and counseling, I had some thoughts about consulting with students.  The following is what I wrote before reading:

I find it interesting that the only definition or requirement for consultation that includes students in the process is that of CACREP. It is also interesting that Dollarhide & Saginak (2012) state, “counselors from all three levels spend from1 to 80 percent of their time providing consultation” (p. 169).  One percent?!  How was consultation defined in this study? Merriam-Webster defines consultation as, “a meeting in which someone to a person about a problem, question, etc.; a discussion about something that is being decided” (2013).   Considering that students are the reason school counselors are in the schools, this definition should include students.  Therefore, I would hope that one’s consultation with students would be a major component of the job, taking up more than one percent of one’s time! 

After reading the difference between consultation and counseling, I realize that I was using the two synonymously.  I am happy to see that the authors do specify that students are, in fact, consultees.  Still, I am not 100% clear on the difference.  Dollarhide & Saginak (2012) did say, “it is difficult to distinguish when a counselor is consulting with students about a third person for whom the student feels responsible, and when the counselor is problem solving with the student about a third person” (p. 173).   I wonder, too, does it always have to involve a third person? For example, when students are struggling academically, it is the counselor’s job to intervene in some way.  If the student lacks effective organization and study skills, and the counselor educates the student on strategies that may be helpful, would this not be consultation?  Or, concerning the career domain, could career counseling be considered consultation? The counselor is working as a consultant with a consultee (the student) on determining what path in life the student wants to take, and helps him/her determine how to get there. This isn’t really working on a personal problem, so it isn’t counseling, is it?  I think I need more clarification on the differences and what this might look like in a real-life situation.

References:

Consultation (2013). In Merriam-Webster online.  Retrieved from             http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consultation

Dollarhide, C.T., & Saginak, K.A. (2012). Comprehensive school counseling programs

            (2nd Ed.). New York: Pearson, Inc. 

Kahn, B.B., (2000). A model of solution-focused consultation for school counselors.

            Professional School Counseling, 3 (4), 248-54.