THE USE OF A CONSULTATION TEAM TO NETWORK FAMILIES WITH OTHER HELPINGSYSTEMS

Families, therapists, and other service providers often find themselve s uncooperative and at cross purposes when working toward solutions to family problems. Sometimes each professional is involved in one small piece of the problem and may never have encountered other providers a nd all family members. This paper describes a family-agencies-team con sultation model intended to address the above issues. The model uses a consultation team to facilitate better understanding of family needs, helping agency roles, and service provider constraints. The approach has been successful in creating dialogue, generating a wide range of g oals, engendering cooperation, empowering families, and affirming agen cy participation.