January 2, 2011
Our professional association, the Employee Assistance Professionals Association, conducted a poll of its membership last year on the direction of content for its trade journal, The Journal of Employee Assistance. Several of the themes resonated with me, including the desire of readers to have more practical subjects relating to everyday EA work, as well as best practices in the field.
So, I approached EAPA Web Editor Marina London and Journal editor Mike Jacquart with the concept of writing an ongoing column for the Journal, on the topic of management consulting skills for EA professionals. Having presented two papers on the subject at EAPA World Conferences in New York (2000) and San Diego (2007), I thought that a column might be a natural extension of my interest in dialoguing with other EA professionals, and keep fueling interest in the subject.
Marina, Mike and the editorial board like the idea, so I’ve submitted my first column for the next issue due out in January 2011. The column is titled Effective Management Consulting, and will seek to inform and engage EA professionals on further defining and standardizing the concept of consulting to managers and supervisors. Ultimately, I’d like to have your help in producing a CEAP Advisement Plan on the topic, for use in developing newcomers to the field.
The Management Consulting Triad
The column in the Journal is one part of a triad of vehicles for promoting best practices and skill development. Because the columns are spaced apart by three months (the Journal is a quarterly publication), I thought a weblog might sustain interest between issues and create a mechanism for more interaction on the subject. This blog constitutes the second part of the triad.
The third part is the EAP Management Consultation Knowledgebase, which will serve as a repository and library of all of the resources, documents, bibliography and more that you and readers like you submit for sharing with our colleagues.
A Collaborative Expertise
I would like to position myself as a facilitator and cheerleader, and ask for your ideas, observations, materials, and enthusiasm to make this blog a meaningful resource. Please consider becoming a regular follower of this blog, contribute your thoughts through the Comments section on any blog entry, and submitting by email any documents, book list, or tools for inclusion in the Knowledgebase.
Well done! high time that non-clinical consulting is being highlighted as a specific role in enhanced EAP’s