Effects of Consultee Problem Presentation and Consultant Training on Consultant Problem Definition

This study examined the consultee's influence on the process of problem definition. It was hypothesized that a consultee would influence the consultant's ability to formulate specific, descriptive problems by the consultee's original problem conceptualization. The 18 doctoral student consultants represented the two groups of consultants—one group enrolled in a mental health consultation course and the other enrolled in a behavioral analysis class. In a structured consultation simulation the consultants were presented with both medical and behavioral conceptualizations. The results supported the hypothesis that the consultee's problem conceptualization influences consultants' formulation of the problem.