Stop, think, and define consulting psychology. Division 13 is making an active effort to increase membership among fellow psychologists and promote the profession as a whole. But there is only one problem. The target audience – psychologists - does not know exactly what it is we do. What distinguishes consulting psychology from other brands of psychology? What are the unique factors that set us apart from other consultants? Consulting psychology is an emerging new field. Indeed, its definition has been an evolution as the Society of Consulting Psychology (SCP) is a mere 14 years young. This adolescent is forging a new path combining the expertise in human behavior with the fast pace and tangible results of consulting. This article is meant as an introductory and explanatory piece for professionals considering a venue for their skills beyond counseling and therapy. Back to The Consulting Psychologist™

Today, more and more organizations are recognizing the value of their workforce. People are seen as the main asset and thus, their development key to driving the business. Hence, companies seek expert opinion to aid them in optimizing their talent pool. Enter consulting psychologist. In a report by the 2001 Future’s Task Force as commissioned by Division 13, formal definitions of consulting psychology and a consulting psychologist read as follows:

Consulting psychology, for the purpose of these bylaws, shall be defined as the function of applying and extending the special knowledge of a psychologist, through the process of consultation, to problems involving human behavior in various areas.  A consulting psychologist shall be defined as a psychologist who provides specialized technical assistance to individuals or organizations in regard to psychological aspects of their work.  Such assistance is advisory in nature and the consultant has no direct responsibility for its acceptance.  Consulting psychologists may have as clients, individuals, institutions, corporations, or other kinds of organizations.

The upcoming 2004 Guidelines for Education and Training at Doctoral and Post-Doctoral Level in Consulting Psychology/Organizational Consulting Psychology (O’Roark, Lloyd, Cooper) cites the same definitions, which originated in the 1999 SCP bylaws.

However accurate, this can be an intimidating mouthful for those remotely interested in joining this field. More succinctly, Richard Davis, Director of Organizational Development for Hazell and Associates, described consulting psychology as the “ use of psychological theories and practices in applied settings (e.g., corporations, schools, government, etc.) for the intended purpose of improving individual performance and increasing organizational effectiveness.” More succinct still – consulting psychology is applied psychology to organizations and individuals within organizations. The critical question being, “What are the psychological issues at work within the organization/person? Thus, some argue, as University of Maryland professor Ellen Lent, that consulting psychology is not distinct at all, it is more a matter of context as opposed to the utilization of a unique skill set. She notes that, “It is easier to describe the activities and settings where consulting psychology takes places.”

Relative to other consultants, SCP Education and Training Chair and Managing Partner for DRI Consulting, John Fennig connotes that consulting psychologists are distinct by virtue of three factors: 1) being psychologists, 2) the use of psychological testing, and 3) the holding of a license which holds psychologists to a higher ethical standard. While other consultants may perform similar work, the expertise in human dynamics clearly sets consulting psychologists apart. The Future’s Task Force makes some further distinctions in terms of quality, science, and health:

Division 13 defines and champions the highest standards for the science and practice of consulting psychology through the research, experience and expertise of its members and the client organizations with whom we work. Psychologically based consultation methods help individuals, groups and organizations not only become more efficient and effective but also more healthy and satisfying places to work…Consultation is typically multi-dimensional, often with multiple concurrent clients and inter-related factors. Consultants can be change agents, facilitators, collaborators or experts in the working relationship with clients.  A consultant's work focus includes people, processes, and/or organizational structures.

The practice of consulting psychology has also been described as human resources consulting. Because the focus is on working with the human element of the organization, it is often housed under the human resources umbrella. Please note that this branch entails enhancing human performance and optimizing talent. It should be differentiated from what is normally thought of as human resources consulting which involves activities such as the assembly of compensation, retirement, and benefit packages by people trained in human resources management. Consultation can take place in a wide variety of settings including academic institutions, government agencies, not-for-profit agencies, churches, military organizations, and hospitals. Much of this division deals with consultation to some sort of business.

As mentioned earlier, it would be useful to define the typical services that consulting psychologists provide. This author will purposefully use simplistic language in an effort to as clearly explain to those who are unclear about the link between their current skill set and that of a consulting psychologist. Examples are derived from clinical practice as most psychologists who enter this field hold doctoral degrees in clinical or counseling psychology. (Please refer to the upcoming Education and Training at Doctoral and Post-Doctoral Level in Consulting Psychology/Organizational Consulting Psychology by O’Roark, Lloyd, and Cooper for a detailed account of competencies for consulting psychologists at the individual, group, and organizational levels.)

1. Employee Selection/Appraisal: The cornerstone of much consulting psychology is assessment of some sort. Typically, it involves the use of psychological assessment tools in addition to the clinical interview in order to evaluate suitability for a particular job. Akin to executive assessment described below, in this case overt and covert personality traits are measured and compared to that of an ideal candidate. This information is used to inform hiring of an individual and/or performance appraisal.The Link: These first 3 services all involve assessment and thus the link is the same. This pulls from the same skill set as administering assessments such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2), or other personality inventories and compared that profile to typical profiles or scale scores.

2. Executive Assessment: Consulting psychologists assess personality traits of executives with the use of assessment tools such as the California Personality Inventory (CPI). The professional looks for areas of strength and weakness. Furthermore, these results are compared to someone who performs well in that position. Thereafter, the professional and the client develop an action plan on how to bolster strengths and minimize the impact of weaknesses. Assessment may also involve in vivo observation of the individual. The Link: Administration of personality inventories such as the CPI, Personality Research Factor (PRF), etc., and perhaps other assessment tools with subsequent comparison to a profile.

3. Leadership Development: Leadership development entails assessing an individual’s leadership skills (e.g., assertiveness, initiative, self-confidence, persuasiveness, effectiveness in leading change, etc.) typically with the aid of assessment tools and comparing them to the benchmark of an effective leader. This assists in targeting key areas of strength and weakness and subsequently developing an action plan to align strengths with optimal job functioning. Assessment may also involve in vivo observation of the individual. The Link: Test administration and interpretation as described above.

4. 360 ° Surveys:Three hundred sixty degree surveys are exactly what they imply, a look at all angles of a situation. Specifically, they entail assessing a target individual by surveying that individual and asking for perceptions of that individual from the most prominent people who interact with him/her. For example, you might be investigating the performance of a manager. People surrounding the individual including the manager, his/her boss, his/her subordinates, his/her secretary, his/her customers all fill out the same survey and may also be interviewed. The consulting psychologist will compile the results, make summary statements of behavior, and determine course of action. The Link: Some clients require information from a variety of sources. An obvious example is children. It is quite common to get information about level of functioning from parents, siblings, teachers, and other professionals such as a group leader or psychiatrist. The culmination of information from all parties is used to determine the nature of the problem and where to intervene.

5. Executive Coaching: While it is distinguished from therapy or counseling, the boundaries are somewhat vague. Perhaps the critical information to keep in the forefront is that the primary focus is to improve functioning on the job. While this does interweave with one’s personal life and overall well-being, unlike counseling, job is generally the focus. The consultant would confront values, beliefs, and behaviors that impair job performance. The Link: Counseling.

6. Team Development: Team development deals with how to foster cohesiveness and encourage members to act as an integrated whole. Teams often lose time (and money) by ineffective communication and role confusion. So the goal is to ensure that groupings are appropriate and teach members how to interact with one another effectively in an effort to become more productive. The Link: Choosing members for a therapy group. Group process. As psychologists know, people often do not understand their behavior until an unbiased observer points in out, particularly in the context of a group. The consulting psychologist aids in “managing group conflict and enhancing group functioning so that it is better aligned with organizational objectives” (O’Roark, Lloyd, & Cooper, in press). 

7. Mergers and Acquisitions: Mergers and acquisitions involve the blending of companies and thus company cultures. This could involve work on the strategic end – Who stays? Who goes? Companies, like countries, have cultures, and the “American Way” of doing things may not be the “Canadian Way.” The work therefore becomes, how can we blend these cultures without annihilating one? How do we facilitate this change? However, it may be that one culture is intended to be annihilated and that makes the business case, how do we do this with minimal disruption to the whole? The consulting psychologist facilitates this change process. The Link: Couples counseling. Facilitating groups where two different groups are encouraged to dialogue (e.g., men and women).

8. Succession Planning: This involves the selection and grooming process of an individual to assume the leadership role of his predecessor. For example, the CEO seeks his replacement. The task is to find an individual with a similar skill set both overt and covert. Things to consider include: Can s/he do the work? Does the company look inside or outside the company? Does s/he have the appropriate networks? Is his/her style conducive with the core values of the company and its future direction? The Link: Since succession planning in particularly prevalent with family owned businesses we can draw parallels with work in family systems. For example, pre-marital counseling involving the addition of a step-parent to an established family. This involves assessing and grooming a person for a new role previously held by another.

9. Organizational Development: This entails working on a global level with the company as a whole. The goal may be to assess the organizational climate (morale) via work force surveys (polling employees). The objective may be to facilitate congruence between the goals and mission of the organization with the day-to-day operations of the company. The role of the consulting psychologist here is to facilitate congruence between the section s/he is working with and the whole. Keep in mind the whole could be a subsection of the organization – aligning the sales forces with the marketing department. The Link: When counseling clients, establishing the overarching goals for therapy and having weekly intermediate goals that work towards that end. Another example, is group counseling that runs in tandem with issues covered in individual counseling.

These are some of the typical services that consulting psychologists provide. One difference between consulting psychology and its clinical and counseling counterparts that is implied from the above discussion, is an emphasis on bolstering the positive as opposed to remedying the negative. Terminology such as ‘Peak Performance,’ ‘Talent Development,’ and ‘Optimizing Performance’ are testimony to this. The Harvard Business Review touts positive psychology as one of the breakthrough ideas of 2004. Thus, the market recognizes the demand for our talents. It is true organizations call when they have a problem to solve. It is important to note that often times they want to make a good thing better – increase sales earnings, surpass sales projectives. This is a welcome shift from being immersed in the doldrums of dysfunction that typify traditional clinical practice. While not without dysfunctional situations, the consulting psychologist will be amidst very high functioning people in exciting environments.

Consulting psychology can activate your doctoral degree by expanding the options beyond community mental health and academia. And it pulls from expertise that is already in place. Quite simply, Webster’s Dictionary cites that “consultation” is “the act of seeking advice.” The domain of psychologists is human behavior. So consulting psychologists give advice and information about human behavior. This is typically within some sort of organization. The goal is to enhance human performance, which ultimately increases productivity and revenue. This is what we do.  Consulting psychology embraces the skill set of the clinician and transports it to a result-driven, project oriented context at a spirited pace. It is less a departure than a stimulating detour. 

“Our training, character and smarts puts us at the 1% level and higher on this planet to lead, care about, influence and understand stuff in many ways – that also pays really well.” (John Fennig).

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