Description
By the mid-20th century, applied psychology increasingly divided into clinical and industrial-
organizational psychology. Each has become its own distinctive career pathway. An increasing
number of clinicians are crossing over this divide and engaging in organizational consulting
work (Lowman, 2008, 2017). Beyond mere assessment and intervention around pathology that
can afflict members of organizations and impair team functioning, clinicians and counselors
offer strengths in working with normal range interpersonal and emotional issues at the center
of organizational impasses or motivational challenges. The current presentation will draw on
that emerging literature and the presenter?۪s experiences as an Air Force officer, professional
consultant in health care settings, and academic administrator to illustrate potential
contributions of clinically trained professionals to organizational and leadership consulting. A
focus on the value for working with churches and other faith based organizations will be
presented and engaged through group discussions of vignettes. The presentation will conclude
by looking at the potential value of psychology informed tools such as Pargament?۪s
Congregation Development program for consulting work in this area.
Presented by: William L. Hathaway, Ph.D. & Jonathan Hoover, M.S.
Learning Objectives
Participants will:
- Compare and contrast the distinctive role of industrial organization psychologists and clinical trained consulting psychologists
- Identify strengths for organizational and leadership consulting that arise from mental health training
- Gain familiarity with psychological tools useful for consulting with faith based organizations and apply the information in the workshop to a variety of case vignettes
