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Assignment 1c: Model Application and Intervention Plan

Sophie J. Young

Department of Counseling, Wake Forest University

CNS 786: Consultation and Program Development

Dr. Mark Scholl

February 23, 2022

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Assignment 1c: Model Application and Intervention Plan

Entry and Diagnosis

In the following paper I will describe the individualized intervention plan I have created

for my consultee, Frank, using mental health consultation-based methods. First and foremost, it

is critical that I begin my work with Frank by employing the essential skills needed in the entry

stage such as exploring the problem, contracting, and relating with Frank to minimize resistance

and promote a successful consultation experience (Dougherty, 2014). The next phase of our

work will be the diagnosis stage in which we will define the problem (i.e. Frank’s lack of

knowledge, skill, and confidence regarding his students’ mental and emotional distress), set a

goal to resolve the problem, and begin generating interventions. As indicated by Dougherty

(2014) and Clabaugh, Dubuque, and Fields (2021), gathering appropriate, culturally sensitive

information to define the problem is crucial during this phase. In Frank’s particular case, having

the knowledge of how college students’ mental health has been impacted by the pandemic,

considering the background and other culturally relevant aspects of his students, and knowing the

University’s policies, academic requirements, and available mental health resources will serve

him well as we work to address the problem.

Frank and I will conclude the diagnosis stage by collaboratively generating a list of

possible interventions to help Frank effectively provide emotional support for his students. In his

description of mental health consultation, Caplan (1963) highlights that the consultee has the

option to either accept or reject any of the consultant’s assistance at any time. I believe this will

be important to keep in mind as Frank and I brainstorm interventions as this grants him the

autonomy to select what idea(s) he believes will be the most appropriate for his situation.
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Plan Implementation

As we are now in the implementation stage, I will describe the interventions and plan that

Frank and I have collectively formulated. Caplan’s (1963) description of Consultee-Centered

Case Consultation notes that this style focuses on improving the consultee’s handling of the case

in order to yield benefits for the client. Since the Consultee-Centered approach aligns with

Frank’s initial ask in seeking my consultation, we have selected to use this model of intervention.

Frank exhibits some of the commonly seen traits that often lead someone to seek consultation: a

lack of understanding the psychological factors within the case, a lack of resources and skills

related to the problem, and a lack of confidence due to Frank’s inexperience with emotionally

supportive behavior. These deficits provide a general guideline for what will be addressed in our

intervention plan.

To enhance Frank’s knowledge, we will begin by discussing the behaviors Frank sees in

his students (poor academic performance, crying, asking for extra credit, etc.) and considering

the various factors that could be contributing to their distress (pandemic stress, asynchronous

learning difficulties, first-year adjustments to college, etc.). As studied by Clabaugh, Duque, and

Fields (2021), one third of surveyed students felt that their academic future was highly at risk

due to the pandemic, with another third of students reporting that they lacked adequate coping

skills during this stressful time. The authors also noted that other factors such as gender,

ethnicity, personality, and potentially SES can also impact students’ stress levels and coping

abilities during the pandemic, indicating that many students are likely to be feeling and

displaying heightened mental and emotional distress during this time. Additionally, I will

provide Frank with a general understanding of mental health disorder etiology, warning signs to

look for in students regarding worsening mental health, will discuss the importance of faculty-
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student relationships when providing support, and will give Frank information about the

University’s existing mental health resources. These plans come from the common themes found

among faculty who engage in student-supporting behaviors in a 2021 study by Kalkbrenner,

Jolley, and Hays. Although my presentation of this knowledge may require me to step into more

of an expert role given my background as a mental health counselor, it is important that I keep

Frank engaged in this portion of our consultation work with back and forth dialogue to help him

engage with the material and feel more involved in his learning.

Following this discussion, Frank and I will address the skills needed for empathetic

listening and engage in roleplaying activities during which I will play a distressed student and

Frank will practice listening to and supporting me until he feels more comfortable doing so.

After enhancing Frank’s knowledge, skills, and confidence through our work together, I will also

talk with Frank about the structure of his chemistry course and the academic policies and

requirements that exist during the context of the pandemic. I will share the findings of Reynolds

et al. (2020) who present a flexible and appropriately rigorous option for faculty (specifically

science faculty) that can be implemented amidst the continuous educational disruptions of the

pandemic: writing-intensive assignments. Because this research aligns so well with Frank’s case,

he and I will discuss the pros and cons of embedding this option in his course curriculum.

After engaging with Frank in these ways, we will schedule a follow-up meeting to

evaluate how he has been able to use his new knowledge and skills to support his students.

During the time between our initial consultation sessions and check-in I will work within the

University’s Counseling Center to promote our services more widely on campus, especially to

faculty so that they are aware of us as a resource. I will also work on developing coping skills

programming for students, as Frank and other researchers have indicated this as a need
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(Clabaugh, Duque & Fields, 2021). Additional action steps I will take include continuously

advocating for sufficient funding for our Counseling Center and remaining attentive to the

University’s changing pandemic protocols. Frank and I have worked collectively to create this

plan and have both agreed to follow it through. We each understand our separate responsibilities

which are linked to our established goals. Our plan also contains a reasonable time frame for

completion, is structured to be realistically achievable, and can be adapted to fit Frank’s needs,

as recommended by Dougherty (2014) for effective consultation.

In conclusion, it is suspected that the previously described plan will provide Frank with

the knowledge, skills, and confidence he desires to be emotionally supportive for his students. It

is anticipated that Frank will experience strengthened relationships with students, a key

component of emotionally supportive faculty (Kalkbrenner, Jolley & Hays, 2021), thus

enhancing his ability to effectively mentor, engage with, and support his pupils as they navigate

their academic and personal worlds during this challenging time in history.
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References

Caplan, G. (1963). Types of mental health consultation. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry,

33(3), 470–481. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1939-0025.1963.tb00381.x

Clabaugh, A., Duque, J. F. & Fields, L. J. (2021). Academic stress and emotional well-being in

united states college students following onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Frontiers in

Psychology, 12, 628787–628787. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.628787

Dougherty, A.M. (2014). Psychological consultation and collaboration in school and

community settings. Belmont Oaks, CA: Cengage Learning.

Kalkbrenner, M. T., Jolley, A. L., & Hays, D. G. (2021). Faculty views on college student mental

health: Implications for retention and student success. Journal of College Student

Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 23(3), 636–658.

https://doi.org/10.1177/1521025119867639

Reynolds, J. A., Cai, V., Choi, J., Faller, S., Hu, M., Kozhumam, A., Schwartzman, J., & Vohra,

A. (2020). Teaching during a pandemic: Using high‐impact writing assignments to

balance rigor, engagement, flexibility, and workload. Ecology and Evolution, 10(22),

12573–12580. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.6776