ROLE OF CONSULTATION AND ADVOCACY

The Role of Consultation and Advocacy

Resources

•  The Role of Consultation and Advocacy Scoring Guide.
•  APA Style and Format.
•  Unit 4 Assignment Template.

Overview

This assignment has two parts. Part 1 focuses on the concepts involved in understanding consultation and advocacy, helping relationships that support the dignity and respect of all parties involved. These problem-solving processes involve a variety of components and require multicultural awareness, examination of barriers to treatment, and consideration of access to tools to assist professionals in implementing their roles.

Part 2 provides the opportunity to use these concepts. This part of the assignment involves analyzing a case situation, and explaining how consultation and advocacy could play a role in supporting the wellness of the clients in the case you choose.

Directions

Part 1

Evaluate the roles of consultation and advocacy in the field of counseling in relation to the counselor’s ability to support the wellness of clients. Based on the ideas you found in the articles provided in this unit readings, along with at least one additional source from the optional readings, analyze and explain the roles of consultation and advocacy in the field of counseling. Complete the following:

• Define the roles of consultation and advocacy from the perspective of the field of counseling. Focus particularly on your specialization (AC, MFCT, SC, or MHC).
• Distinguish between advocacy and consultation in your specialization. Explain how you would know when to use consultation and when to use advocacy, providing specific criteria for each role. Briefly illustrate how your criteria might work by providing an example.
• Think back to the high-level review of specializations that you did in Unit 1, and that you addressed in the discussion in that unit. How would you think through which specialization you would go to for a consultation for a particular client situation?
• Justify advocacy as a role for counselors. Include the purpose of advocacy and the benefits it can provide for clients.

Cite your sources using APA sixth edition formatting.

Part 2

Choose one of the following three hypothetical cases to demonstrate the importance of consultation and advocacy in your specialization.

Case 1

An eighth-grade math teacher referred a student to the middle school counselor due to the student’s consistent poor academic performance. The teacher is concerned that there may be a need for testing, tutoring, or counseling, but is not sure of how to proceed. As a result, the teacher has brought the situation to the school counselor’s attention.

Case 2

As a marriage and family therapist working in a private practice, the therapist is seeing a couple who is struggling with their relationship. During the intake, the couple begins to ask legal questions about the process of divorce, dividing of assets, and state law.

Case 3

An adult client presents with depression when meeting with a mental health counselor in a community mental health center. The counselor has been treating this client for his symptoms, but the client indicates that he would really like the counselor to prescribe him some medication to help improve his depression.

In addressing the case situation, begin by analyzing the case, considering strategies to cope with barriers and address multicultural implications. Then, present your case in the context of the situation you choose. As you address your case situation, answer the following questions:

• How do you see your role in this case related to advocacy or consultation within your area of specialization?
• What institutional or social barriers can you identify that might impede access, equity, or success for your clients in this case?
• What strategies can you utilize in your work to address multicultural issues and advocate for diverse populations in this case?
• What local-, state-, and national-level issues may impede or enhance this advocacy process, based upon these strategies?

Review the scoring guide given in the resources to make sure you understand how this assignment will be graded.

Other Requirements

Your paper should meet the following requirements:

• Resources: Cite at least two resources from the professional literature that you use as the basis of your ideas for Part 1.
• Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.
• Length of paper: Doing a thorough job on this assignment is likely to require approximately 4–6 typed, double-spaced pages.