Ask Dr. Paul
Question: Why should I, as a manager, be considering hiring a consulting psychologist to help me with my strategic human resource and business concerns?
Dr. Paul: Psychologists are among the most highly trained human relations and communications experts in society. Clinical psychologists can conduct all manner of personal and group assessments that your company might need. They have the licenses and credentials, knowledge of tests and their optimal uses (and limitations), both professional and legal codes of ethics regarding their practice, and the knowledge of potential litigation challenges to your company within many human resource areas. Johnson & Associates, P.C. has a core of very experienced and well-trained clinical psychologists. Psychologists, generally, are very experienced in dealing effectively with a wide variety of personalities, groups, and change management issues. Those who have specialized in working within business also have extra skills and insights which allow them to work with particularly difficult communication, development, or organizational transition challenges.
Question: How would you communicate effectively with various people and levels within my company, but still maintain the necessary confidentiality?
Dr. Paul: This is a very tough and highly appropriate question to ask. There is no "pat" prescription that I can provide to fully address all of the subtleties and nuances of how we communicate. Suffice it to say that we establish ground rules with our company "sponsor," whether that is the Chairman, CEO, Owner, Division General Manager, etc. These ground rules stipulate that we must be allowed the discretion, as professionals, to determine how much, if any, sensitive information is cross-communicated within that company. Then, with every individual employee or manager, we outline the terms of our ground rules and commit to maintaining confidences that the individual stipulate must remain confidential. We still will frequently encourage that individual, if we deem it in his or her (and the company's) best interests, to present the sensitive information themselves, to a supervisor or manager. We also assist them to know how best to present that information, if they ask us to do so. We never turn over written records of assessments, private notes, or other sensitive documents to management, unless the individual gives his/her permission or does so themselves. The only exceptions to this confidentiality contract would arise in cases where we see an obvious threat to human life or property, or when we become aware of patently illegal actions that would compel us to temporarily suspend our contract.
Question: How do you charge and what prevents you from just "hanging on" in my company, once I invite you in?
Dr. Paul: Our company has never worked on a strictly contractual or retainer basis. We have felt that in order to maintain quality control and to assure adding continuing value to our clients, that we must work on a per diem basis or special projects basis, only. We will always offer "up front" time to prospective clients, to meet with them and talk over their problems and needs before any charges are incurred. We try to encourage our clients to do periodic reviews of our services and their value, with those people in the company we serve and then to candidly discuss that feedback with the consultant in charge of the account. We can and do work within an established budget for our services. We also take responsibility for monitoring and reviewing our consultants, including regular interviews with their client sponsors, and will be open to replace or terminate any consultant or services that have ceased to provide value in any client corporation.
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