Principles and Techniques of Mental Health Consultation

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xiv

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2. The Principles of Effective Mental Health Consultation

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

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   2. The Common Basis of Consultation

      • Stanley C. Plog, Paul I. Ahmed

      Pages 3-7

   3. Mental Health Consultation: Retrospect and Prospect

      • Gerald Caplan

      Pages 9-21

   4. Some Lessons Learned in 25 Years of Mental Health Consultation to Schools

      • Irving N. Berlin

      Pages 23-48

   5. Effectiveness, Leadership, and Consultation

      • Stanley C. Plog

      Pages 49-71

3. Specialized Techniques in Mental Health Consultation

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 73-73

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   2. The Evolving Role of the School Consultant

      • Raquel E. Cohen

      Pages 75-91

   3. Mental Health Consultation for School Administrators

      • Irving H. Berkovitz

      Pages 93-118

   4. Mental Health Consultations to Welfare Agencies

      • Alexander S. Rogawski

      Pages 119-133

   5. The Ambivalent Consultee

      • Stanley L. Brodsky

      Pages 135-149

   6. The Special Problems of Consultation with Local Churches

      • Kenneth R. Mitchell

      Pages 151-167

   7. Consultation to Complex Organizations in Transition

      • Ralph G. Hirschowitz

      Pages 169-197

   8. Consultation to Complex Organizations in Transition

      • Ralph G. Hirschowitz

      Pages 199-219

   9. Some Considerations in Evaluating School Consultation Programs

      • Paul I. Ahmed, Frank M. Tims

      Pages 221-229

4. Back Matter

   Pages 231-234

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The raison d'etre of the mental health profession is supposed to be con­ cerned with helping. Our involvement is with people's problems-the psychological problems that incapacitate and prevent otherwise capable individuals from leading fulfilling and "self-actualized" lives. Perhaps more than most of the specialties and subdisciplines within the broad field, mental health consultation is even more concerned with helping people. Because the focus in consultation is on reaching larger numbers of people, the discipline has an even greater dedication to doing something about troubled lives. The emphasis of most consultations is on improving the quality of life for various groups of people, on making impossible living situations more bearable, and "broadly on assisting people to face the daily challenges in their lives. Mental health consultation is an effective tool for achieving these goals (see Chapter 4). And it is an art-a difficult art that requires not only special skills and special training but special kinds of personalities that can relate well to people of different walks of life, different ethnic back­ grounds, different religious or political beliefs, and different status or economic position. But, unfortunately, far too many individuals who are engaged in consultation have neither the requisite background nor the special skills to become the kind of artist that is required.

• Mental Health
• health
• profession
• quality
• quality of life

• Plog Research, Inc., Reseda (Los Angeles), USA

  Stanley C. Plog

• Southeastern University, USA

  Paul I. Ahmed

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