What is a key characteristic that distinguishes consultation from counseling?

• A. Triadic
• B. Individual counseling
• C. Therapeutic alliance
• D. Short-term intervention

Answer: (A)

Triadic interaction is the defining feature here. In consultation, three parties are involved—the consultant, the person seeking guidance (the consultee), and the client or system they’re working with. The consultant helps the consultee address the client’s needs by advising, coaching, and facilitating solutions through the consultee’s actions with the client. Counseling, on the other hand, centers on a direct, ongoing therapeutic relationship between two people: the client and the counselor, focused on the client’s personal change. The therapeutic alliance is important in counseling, but it’s not the structural hallmark that distinguishes consultation. Short-term work can occur in both, so it doesn’t uniquely separate them. For example, a school psychologist working with a teacher and a student to plan supports illustrates the triadic setup that characterizes consultation.