Assumptions of Behavioral Consultation: After All Is Said and Done More Has Been Done than Said

Authors

Thomas R. Kratochwill, University of Wisconsin-Madison
John R. Bergan, University of Arizona
Susan M. Sheridan, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Stephen N. Elliot, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Date of this Version

March 1998

Comments

Published in School Psychology Quarterly, 13:1 (1998), pp. 63-80. Copyright © 1999 American Psychological Association. Used by permission. http://www.apa.org/journals/spq/

Abstract

The purpose of our article is to provide a reaction to the article by Noell and Witt (1996) regarding five fundamental assumptions underlying behavioral consultation, as well as react to a manuscript by Witt, Gresham and Noell (1996a) pertaining to their critique of some aspects of behavioral consultation. We provide a reaction to the alleged fundamental assumptions pertaining to consultation, specifically that (a) consultation is a superior use of resources when compared to direct intervention/therapy; (b) consultation is conducted collaboratively; (c) talking to teachers is sufficient to cause them to change their behavior; (d) teachers will generalize problem-solving skills developed in consultation to new problem situations with other clients; and (e) direct contact between the consultant and client is unnecessary. Issues surrounding future research in consultation are presented within the context of these two prior publications.