Toward a Consultant Effectiveness Scale: Investigating the Characteristics of Effective Consultants

Characteristics and skills of effective consultant behavior were summarized from the consultation literature and a series of interviews with experienced school psychology practitioners, and were incorporated into a survey sent to independent samples of consultation experts and school psychology practitioners nationwide. Surveys were completed by rating each characteristic or skill along a 7-point Likert scale indicating its importance for effective consultation. Data returned by each sample were factor analyzed separately. Results indicated four factors that substantially were shared across the two samples and a fifth factor that was somewhat idiosyncratic to each sample. The results are examined in relation to existing research in consultation processes, and implications, limitations, and possible future developments resulting from this study are noted.