JCPSLP Vol 14 No 2 2012

Professional issues

Peer-group consultation Christa Carey-Sargeant and Lindsay Carey

The speech pathology profession acknowledges the need for professional development. Although there are well- established protocols and networks available for therapists seeking individual support, yet there has been minimal attention paid to professional group learning which is non- hierarchical. This paper explores the possible benefits and limitations of peer consultation in a group context – or peer-group consultation – as an alternative to customary forms of professional development. I n speech pathology, a therapist’s “duty of care” to his/ her colleagues means that we should “support our colleagues to reflect on their practice and professional conduct” and that we should “assist them to access relevant continuing education and support when required” (Speech Pathology Australia, 2010a, p. 3). Duty of care thus includes mentoring, postgraduate study, fulfilling professional self-regulation programs, or other continuing professional development curriculum (Hooper, 2007). While it is expected that employing organisations should provide processes to ensure that adequate professional development and supervision is occurring through such protocols as position descriptions, key performance indicators, and performance reviews (Hooper, 2007, p. 4), it is also expected that individuals will engage in their own ongoing professional development. This is because it is commonly recognised that a “practising speech pathologist requires additional specialist expertise beyond the competency based occupational standards (CBOS) entry level competencies required for admission to the profession” (Hooper, 2007, p. 10; Speech Pathology Australia, 2010b). Although there is much literature concerning mentoring and supervision of new graduates (Carozza, 2011; Dickman et al., 2007; Rose, 2005), minimal guidance or reference appears within the speech pathology literature on how the process of mutual support between experienced speech pathologists should be established, practised and/ or maintained. This paper will briefly review adult learning theory, issues of terminology, and peer-group consultation as a technique for professional development. Adult learning theory Since the 1970s the evaluation of adult learning styles has become increasingly popular. Knowles (1990) outlined six

generally held tenets relating to adult education (summarised in Table 1). It can be argued that such tenets are just as important for adult peer consultation based on the assumption that professionals are social beings who need to connect, develop, and validate their behaviour through contact with other beings (Kombrink, 1985). Table 1. Summary of Knowles’ tenets of adult education Adults • have a need to know how to improve the effectiveness and quality of their lives • have a self-concept developed early in life which influences his or her approach to learning • draw on past learning experiences • have a readiness to learn • are motivated to learn if they perceive it will help them deal with and resolve real life problems • The most powerful motivators for adults are internal pressures such as the desire for increased job satisfaction, self-esteem and quality of life. Source: Knowles, 1990 Validation theory (among other theories) has also been acknowledged as important in understanding the adult education process. Friere (1983) suggested that adults follow a continuous three-pronged cyclical approach to learning comprising listening (reflection), dialogue (peer consultation), and action (collaboration). The central proposal of Friere’s framework is the spiral of action– reflection–action pursued in the development of clinical reasoning skills. Engaging in dialogue with colleagues in a group context can also provide adults with opportunities to explore a variety of problem-solving tactics that are usually not as well developed simply through individual or one-to-one reflection. Hart (1995) also noted a number of potential benefits that adult learning through peer groups can achieve, which ultimately should lead to a better quality of care benefiting staff and clients/ patients (summarised in Table 2). Interestingly, Kombrink (1985) identified that peer consultation in groups also had the potential for decreasing feelings of isolation, providing support in clarifying responsibilities, and helping members to express feelings and frustrations. In addition, peer consultation in groups potentially allows for members to cultivate innovative solutions for a variety of professional and personal issues.

Keywords MENTORING SPEECH

This article has been peer- reviewed PATHOLOGIST PEER-GROUP CONSULTATION SUPERVISION

Christa Carey- Sargeant (top) and Lindsay B. Carey

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JCPSLP Volume 14, Number 2 2012

Journal of Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology