Consultation and Interprofessional Collaboration
What to master
Consultation is an indirect service that builds capacity in consultees-parents, teachers, pediatricians, and community agencies. Know Caplan's client-centered versus consultee-centered consultation, process versus content expertise, and the consultative triangle (consultant–consultee–client). In schools, understand MTSS/RTI, IEP and 504 processes, and the difference between assessment for intervention and eligibility determination. In medical settings, know integrated primary care, warm handoffs, and care coordination. Legal frameworks include HIPAA, FERPA, and release-of-information requirements. Effective consultants clarify roles, negotiate goals, use data, address system barriers, and practice cultural humility with families.
Traps
Common errors: giving advice instead of building consultee skills; discussing a client with school staff without appropriate consent; confusing FERPA (education records) with HIPAA (health information); assuming the consultant has authority to mandate changes; and ignoring classroom or system variables in favor of blaming the child.
Worked example / rule of thumb
A teacher reports a child 'can't attend.' Before recommending an ADHD evaluation, the consultant observes antecedents, task difficulty, seating, and intervention fidelity. If the child attends well in small groups, the problem is likely context-specific. Rule of thumb: assess the setting before labeling the child, and get consent before sharing information.