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Introduction

The purpose of this research paper will be to develop an action plan that will be used to address
an issue that is based on an experience which occurred or is yet to occur during the practice of
consultative psychology. Consultative psychology is an area of psychology and psychiatry that
focuses on applying psychology when assessing the type of interventions that will be used by
individuals or groups during therapy sessions. It is also defined as a function that applies and
extends the specialized knowledge of a psychologist by involving the use of consultation so as to
derive a useful solution to problems affecting human behavior (Lowman, 2002). Consultative
psychologists or consulting psychologists are the individuals who are charged with offering
specialized technical assistance to individuals or organizations in need of psychological help.
indirect problem solving services by offering recommendations related to problem identification and
resolution. The consultative psychologist is the main authoritative figure since he/she assumes the main
responsibility for the consultation relationship. The organization consultation model requires the
consultative psychologist to offer recommendations on the relationship that exists between the
organization and its internal-external environments (Dougherty, 2009). The consultation model that will
be used for the action plan will be the consultee centered administrative consultation because it addresses
the improvement of the professional functioning of members in administrative duties within the
organization.

have seen many public sector employees shifting to the private sector (Bertok, 2010).
The shift from government to private employment is not an easy one because of the different
work environments that exist in both sectors. For example, the goals and objectives of
organizations operating in either of the sectors are different where the goals and mission for
government offices focus on performing work duties for the betterment of the citizens and
general population served by the government office while those of private organizations are
focused more on the overall development of the organization. The responsibilities and duties of
civil servants are directed towards improving the lives of average citizens while the duties of
private sector employees are mostly confined to performing the business operations of the
company (Bertok, 2010).
Moving between sectors has been identified as one of the most demanding career changes an
individual will ever make in their professional life. Shifting from the government to the private
sector presents a lot of challenges to individual employees in the event they have not prepared
adequately for the transition. It requires developing a particular mindset so as to prepare for the
change process and it also requires an individual to have the ability of navigating the workplace
culture in the new area of work. Leaving public employment is a major hurdle for many
employees to complete because they are faced with a whole new system of performing their
work duties. This means that they have to engage in change management activities that will
allow them to quickly adapt to the new organization’s work culture (Bertok, 2010).
According to Khan (2011), employees who have shifted from government to private sector
employment are usually targeted to work in administrative areas such as business development
where they are engaged in sales and marketing activities and in program management where they
oversee the projects or programs the company is involved in. In these capacities, they might
experience role challenges especially when they have to conduct post-public employment
lobbying to government institutions using their capacities as private sector employees. They
might also experience conflicts when they are forced by circumstance to use sensitive
information which they were privy to during their public employment period to advance in the
public sector work environment (Bertok, 2010).
religious affiliations and gender issues which might need to be incorporated in the consultation
program.
Challenges and limitations of performing the project will be unwilling employees who do not
want to take part in the consultation process. Some employees might see the consultee
administrative consultation model to be a waste of time mostly because of the lengthy duration
that will be needed to complete the consultation process. The private company’s managers might
also be unwilling to recommend their employees for this process because of the fear that it might
take up a lot of their work time making it difficult for them to meet their targets. The follow up
activities that can be used by the psychologists to ensure that the employees have been able to
adjust properly to their new roles in the company include planned visits to monitor the employee
in their work environment as they perform their work duties and inviting the employee for
individual consultative sessions to gauge their progress within the new organization.
Lambert, N.M., Sandoval, J., & Hylander, I., (2004). Consultee centered consultation. New
Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Lorenzi, N.M., & Riley, R.T., (2000). Managing change: an overview. Journal of American
Medical Information Association, 7(2):116-124.
Lowman, R.L., (Ed.) (2002). Handbook of organizational consulting psychology. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Newman, J.L. (1993). Ethical Issues in Consultation. Journal of Counseling and Development,
72:148-156.
OECD (2004). Managing conflict of interest in the public service: OECD guidelines
and  country experiences. Paris: OECD Publishing.
Paton, R.A., Paton, R., & McCalman, J., (2008). Change management: a guide to  effective
implementation. London: Sage Publications.
Reisman, J.M., (1991). A history of clinical psychology. London: Brunner-Routledge.

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