Full file at
MIDTERM EXAM EXAMPLES
MIDTERM #1:CONSULTATION
Read the two scenarios below and then answer all of the questions that follow.
Consultant-Parent Scenario #1
Parent has arrived five minutes late for the consultation with the counselor.
Consultant:Won't you sit here?
Parent:Whew! What a day! My car wouldn't start. I had to call the garage. I'm surprised I made it.
Consultant:Well, I was beginning to think that you weren't going to come. I'm glad you are here because it is hard for me to reschedule.
Parent:My day would have gone OK even with the car, if I weren't so upset about having to come here today. That note from Cal's teacher just didn't sound like my Cal.
Consultant:I wanted to tell you in person that Cal is having a rough time. Frankly, Cal's been a good student,but lately he won't turn in his work. He had fivezeros on his homework assignments last week.
Parent:Cal's a good boy all right. He never gives me a moment’s problem at home. He's really a big help. I hadn't noticed that his work was suffering.
Consultant:Well, his teacher says he is forgetting to bring his assignments from home and sometimes he just sits and stares. He used to be such a hard worker, but he mayflunk if he keeps this up.
Parent:What do you think is the problem?
Consultant:I'm not sure, but I suspect he has some personal problem.
Parent:What do you mean when you say “personal problem?”I feel like I'm a good parent and he would tell me if he had any problems.
Consultant:If I were you, I would be concerned. There is a problem because Cal's off track.
Parent:I want to be a good parent. Are you going to tell me how to get Cal back on track?
Consultant-Parent Scenario #2
Parent has arrived five minutes late for the consultation with the counselor.
Consultant:Won't you sit here? I appreciate your coming.
Parent:Whew!What a day! My car wouldn't start. I had to call the garage. I'm surprised I made it.
Consultant:You've had a hectic time getting here. Take a second to catch your breath before we begin.
(Pause)
Parent:Yes, I am pretty breathless. Thanks. I guess you want to talk about Cal. I’ve received the note the teacher sent. I can't understand why he's not doing his work. That's not like Cal.
Consultant:You're confused by Cal's behavior. So am I. That's why I've invited you in today. I hope we can explore this situation and decide on some ways to help Cal.
Parent:I hope so too. Cal's a good boy. He always helps me at home — he does so many things to make life easier for me. You know, it's just Cal, my invalid mother and me. I've just recently started working nights, and Cal has been real good to makesupper for his grandmother. She's lonely and she talks him into sitting with herand watching TV or playing cards. He used to get his homework finished as soon as supper was over.
Consultant:You're working hard to keep life going and you're grateful for how much help Cal's giving you. Seems like Cal's taken on some new responsibilities at home that may be cutting into his time for school work.
Parent:Yes, it looks that way. I guess I've been so involved trying to make ends meet and keep a roof over our heads that I don't take time to check on Cal like I used to.
Consultant:You've been overwhelmed by the pressures placed on you. Perhaps the situation has become somewhat overwhelming for Cal too.
Parent:Sure seems like that. I don't want to see his grades fall behind.
Consultant:You're worried about Cal's work. I am, too. What do you think we could do to help Cal?
Questions:
1.Compare and contrast the two scenarios in terms of the consultant's behavior. If you were the consultant's supervisor, what would you convey about his/her performance in each of these situations?
2.The consultation relationship described in Scenario #2 could have taken a different direction and still been productive. Rewrite the situation in a way that shows a different but effective method for handling the consultation.
3.List five ways consultants can minimize their own resistance during the consultation process.
MIDTERM #2:CONSULTATION
This is a take-home test. Use notes, text, and any other resources you choose for your answers.
1.Examine the roles of the consultant in terms of your own personal strengths and weaknesses. Discuss which roles would be more/less difficult for you based on your strengths and weaknesses.
2.Collaboration is stressed as important in each of the stages of the generic model of consultation. Discuss the collaborative nature of consultation.Briefly explain how collaboration in each stage of the generic model "empowers" the consultee and contributes to the success of that particular stage of the consultation process.
3.Analyze three of the following scenarios. Briefly discuss what is happening in the consultation process and offer suggestions for what might be done to alter, improve, or facilitate the consultation process.
a.The consultant is providing services to a children's day care center. The consultant is working with the staff to improve their communication skills with the children and parents. The director of the center has credentials similar to the consultant's. The director has come uninvited to the last three of the training sessions and offers critiques and harsh feedback to the consultees. The consultees have reduced their participation and are now reluctant to do any role-plays or behavioral rehearsal during the training sessions.
b.In an initial contact meeting with a hospital administrator, the administrator makes several references that a hospital is "a business, not a social work agency" and stresses that full occupancy and technical efficiency are the first priority of running a hospital. The goal of consultation is improved staff-patient relationships. As the consultant listens to the administrator, the consultant begins to question the feasibility of entering into this consulting relationship.
c.Teachers of a university's study skill classes think they need to include instruction on stress reduction and coping skills in their curriculum. They base their conclusions on in-class discussions, student surveys, and exit interviews with students. The teachers consult with a human services faculty person to determine a plan for implementing these areas into the curriculum.
d.A counselor has been consulting with a teacher and parents to design a cooperative school-home treatment plan for a child who refuses to complete in-class assignments and homework assignments (both of which the child is capable of doing). A plan was worked out and agreed upon by the parents and teacher. When the counselor contacted the consultees a month after the intervention began, the counselor learned that the plan went awry the first week and that neither the parents nor teacher had tried anything else since then.
e.A consultant has been working with the activities staff of a day care for the elderly. The consultant has become attached to the clients since the consultant has been directly assisting in the implementation of the plan with the clients. The consultant is increasing rather than reducing the time at the day care center. The time for termination is approaching, but the consultant is finding excuses for extending the deadline for termination.
Psychological Consultation and Collaboration in School and Community Settings 1