Coming together is a beginning.  Keeping together is a progress.  Working together is success.

-Henry Ford

Consultation is an important aspect of every profession.  Seeking advice from colleagues and knowing when the problem is larger than can be handled by one person is a skill that is vital to the profession of counseling.  As a counselor, I will come across various situations in which my knowledge may not be enough to help the student and I will need to consult with other colleagues or even make a referral outside of the school.  In the same respect, I may consult with other students to encourage mediations among the students.  Through peer mediation and groups, the students are beginning their process of consultation early and the counselor is to facilitate these processes.

During my internship experience, I have learned that there are many times when I am not fully equiped to deal with the events students are facing.  Often when a student is experiencing troubled feelings such as suicidal ideation, the counseling department in my building relies on Tri-County Health to provide a safe place for the teen.  We make calls every day to protect our students and those calls are an example of the consultation that is so important in this profession.  I also work with many students who need to be tested for and potentially placed in a gifted and talented program of courses.  Because this is not an area in which I am an expert, I refer to the gifted teacher and department in my building as well as the school psychologist who completes the testing for these students. 

I have placed several documents in my evidence that refer to gifted and talented as well as exceptional children.  These are resources intended mainly for me in my counseling process but will also be a referral source for parents of such children.  Often, classroom teachers may feel unable to provide services for gifted and talented students because they are dealing with large numbers at a time and a variety of needs.  These resources may also help them make appropriate decisions to help the students who need a greater challenge.  My favorite consultation pieces are the SIT family interviews and the SIT student interview because the family and the student are going to be the best resources in helping the child succeed in his or her education. 

The most common referral I make is to provide a family with resources in the community.  We work with families on a daily basis who cannot provide food for the children or clothes for them to wear.  Consulting with community members to help these students is an important part of the counseling job in my building.  I also refer many families to outside counselors to help students find safe places to work through problems outside of the school setting when the issues need to be addressed more often.  The "yellow book" resource is a great example of some of the resources I provide to families.