Collaborative consultation

This chapter describes an approach to collaborative consultation where consultant and consultee join their expertise to explore dilemmas and challenges towards developing new possibilities. Requests for consultation often come out of beliefs like Annie's, that consultants have the solutions that will make the difference. This may come from an assumption that consultants have expert knowledge or skills that they bring from their specialised training and work experience with specific client groups. Intending to take a collaborative position and work with rather than consult to the group enabled to suspend some views and connect with curiosity to find out what Annie and the group had to offer. Consultees have often told that taking time to work out what they want from the consultation and what they want to be different has contributed considerably towards their finding ways to go on. The problems practitioners bring for consultation affect not only their clients or patients but many other people connected or involved.