Clinical Consultation

 

What is Clinical Consultation?

Clinical Consultation is the involvement of an outside therapist to provide information, techniques, and skills to employees who provide direct services at agencies. These skills and techniques help employees improve their interactions and work with their clients. Clinical consultation also provides assistance in managing the damaging effects of vicarious trauma, in order to produce healthier and more effective employees.

 

Shouldn't a supervisor provide Clinical Consultation?

Clinical consultation is most effective when employees are open and honest about difficulties they face during their client interactions. Most employees are not comfortable or willing to be open and honest with their supervisor because of fear of possible retribution. Instead, they remain quiet and attempt to solve the problem on their own or ignore the difficulty, solutions that can be damaging to the clients.

Employees are more forthcoming about their faults with an outside clinical consultant rather than their own supervisor. Hiring a clinical consultant benefits the organization because the employees’ shortcomings become known and improved upon rather than remaining hidden and potentially causing harm to clients.

Supervisors also have the large task of managing many different aspects of their employees’ work: time management, paperwork, reviewing reports, etc. Clinical consultation solely focuses on improving the employees’ therapeutic or clinical skills in their interactions with clients.

 

Who seeks Clinical Consultation?

Clinical Consultation is particularly necessary for people who work with domestic violence, sexual abuse, foster children, and people at risk for HIV. This includes:

· Non-profit agencies

· Hotline counselors, educators, counselors, advocates

· Staff who routinely encounter people in compromising and difficult situations

 

My Qualifications for Providing Clinical Consultation

· Licensed Clinical Social Worker

· Provided Clinical Consultation to staff and interns at Victim Services Center of Montgomery County, Inc.

· Supervised Counseling Department at victim services agency

· 40-hour basic National Organization of Victim Assistance (NOVA) training

· 20-hour advanced NOVA training

· Completed 40-hour sexual assault counselor training

· Certified Victim Advocate through Pennsylvania Victim Assistance Academy

· Provided individual, couple, and group therapy to various populations (sexual abuse survivors, youth at risk for contracting HIV, people with chronic mental health issues, families of homicide victims) in non-profit agencies.

· Masters Degree in Social Work from Widener University with a focus in Clinical Social