In your first year you will be guided through the process of consultancy, beginning from the assessment of requests for consultancy, through establishing needs of client group and negotiating with clients; planning, managing, and monitoring consultancy work; drawing up contracts, formulating recommendations and finally closing pieces of consultancy and evaluating outcomes. You will also learn from health psychologists about experiences of setting up consultancy practice. In your second year you will take part in practical workshops which will enable you to put your consultancy skills into practice.

1. A Contract and Working Agreement Conditions Document. This document will specify project negotiations, agreed timescales and outcome deliverables, budget and resource planning. Maps to learning outcome 2.


2. Case Study . You will write a reflective report describing the request and identification of the need for the health psychology consultancy; how you established a working relationship with clients, and how you negotiated, planned and managed the consultancy. Within the case study you need to include reviews of relevant consultancy approaches, theories and techniques, and the consultancy methodology, design and implementation plan. This case study must include a clear description of the consultancy aims, objectives, deliverables, data collection or project work and outcomes, and the evaluation process.

This will be submitted with Appendices detailing: breakdown of budget (or hypothetical budget if a fee was not required); contract revisions; summary of meetings and correspondence; client consent form; deliverables; evidence of feedback and reports from client; reflections on the communications and management of the client-consultant working relationship. Appendices may also include consent procedures, and feasibility/scoping evaluations/studies, evidence of impact of consultancy. Maps to learning outcomes 1,3,4 and 5.

Please note:
(i) The contract and working agreement conditions document must be handed in and passed BEFORE the consultancy is able to take place. This may be handed in at any point during the year, but the date must be agreed in advance with the module leader and your supervisor.

(ii) Please make sure that your client has completed a consent form before starting the piece of consultancy.

This module is supported with 18 hours of consultancy skills workshops where you will be led through the whole process of consultancy. In the first year, you will learn about the different approaches to consultancy, and learn about the different stages of the consultancy process from initial negotiation with clients, through to writing up and presenting the final deliverable. During the first year, you will be taught by a range of experienced psychologists, including experienced health psychology consultants who have set up their own consultancies.

The sessions in the following year will build upon the knowledge in the first year, by practising the skills learnt within a small group learning environment.

The 18 hours of workshops will be supplemented by 4 hours of tailored individual supervision sessions with your supervisor, and 2 hours of supervision from the module leader (6 hours total).

The remaining 376 independent study hours will include reading the consultancy literature, negotiating with clients, preparing and writing contracts, conducting the actual consultancy work, preparing the final report for the client, and reflecting upon and writing up the consultancy case study, and contract/working agreement conditions document.

1. Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the application of theories/models of communication, organisational consultancy, organisational development and the management of change within the consultancy process and project delivery
Knowledge & Understanding, Enquiry, Learning

2. Engage in the preparatory processes involved in pitching, negotiating and agreeing the scope of work, contract arrangements and project delivery specifications with the client.
Enquiry, Application, Communication

3. Plan, document, monitor, review and adjust in the light of unforeseen problems (where necessary) consultancy work/deliverables using appropriate theoretical frameworks/models and procedures. Have an in depth understanding of the barriers and facilitators of effective project delivery (incorporating time, resource, relationship and conflict management).
Analysis, Problem Solving, Application

4. Manage the consultancy project deliverables, process and outcomes effectively by engaging with and actively planning the client-consultancy relationship. Communicate conclusions clearly and effectively to the client.
Analysis, Problem Solving, Communication

5. Critically reflect upon the piece of consultancy, including exercising ethical and professional behaviour and personal responsibility with autonomous initiative within the consultancy project delivery and setting. Learning, Application, Reflection

Blackboard Virtual Learning Environment. Web-based databases to review current relevant literature in electronic database format. Internet access. Library, Resource rooms, supervision space, service user and carer group, specialist lecturers.

Block, P. (2011) Flawless consulting: Third edition. Wiley.

Cope, M. (2003). The Seven Cs of consulting, Third edition. FT Prentice Hall.

Earll, L. & Bath, J. (2004) Consultancy: What is it, how do you do it, and does it make any difference? In S. Michie and C. Abraham (Eds) Health psychology in practice (pp. 230-250). BPS Blackwell.

Markham, C. (2019) The art of consultancy. Legend Business Ltd.

Newton, R. (2010) The management consultant: Mastering the art of consultancy. FT Prentice Hall.

This module will guide you through the process of health psychology consultancy. In the interactive sessions, you will learn about all the processes of consultancy, from establishing needs of client group and negotiating with clients; through planning, managing, and monitoring consultancy work; drawing up contracts, and finally closing pieces of consultancy and evaluating outcomes. During this module you will also have the opportunity to meet a legal advisor and experienced health psychologists who have set up their own consultancies.