1. You gain knowledge and insight in the process of organizational consultancy, in the role of the consultant and in social influence and change interventions, especially at the level of individual consultancy conversations and training situations (EK 1).
2. You will be able to effective apply this knowledge, especially in the form of professional consultancy conversations and role plays, and in your participation as a young professional in the training group (EK2, EK3).
3. You train and develop your professional consultancy skills and expand your behavioral and conversational repertoire as a psychological consultant in an organizational setting (EK2, EK4, EK5).
4. You attain a professional learning attitude, necessary for performing as an effective organizational consultant, psychologist and scientist practitioner;
   • you will be able to critically reflect on what you learned and where you need further development and how to establish that;
   • You can predict and oversee the consequences of your own professional actions in the future as a psychologist and consultant, which includes that you are able to reflect on the social and ethical responsibilities linked to the application of your knowledge, judgements, and interventions.
   • You will give and receive peer feedback on your professional skill attainment, and help your peers to develop and reach an optimal performance (EK3, EK5).
5. You will professionalize your communication skills by participating and interacting actively during the training sessions (EK4).

• Role & attitude of an effective consultant: We will analyze and exercise specific aspects of your role and attitude as a consultant in various organizational consultancy situations. This includes becoming aware of the pitfalls involved in the process of relating to divers’ clients, needs and organizational problems, and exercising the skills mentioned below.
• Problem orientations skills: skills for analyzing the conditions for effective interventions and recommended procedures in situations with incomplete or limited information, or complex “wicked” organizational problems.
• Entrance & “Trust-building”-skills: We will learn how to establish (from the moment of entrance) and maintain a trusting and effective collaborative relationship with different types of clients, stakeholders having a problem and participants undergoing a change process or a training.
• Ambivalence skills: We will analyze and experience what communication strategies and conversational interventions deal effectively with ambivalence and resistance to change on the part of the client. We will train conversational skills in reframing ambivalence in commitment.
• Commitment skills: We will train conversational skills that evoke and stimulate commitment and self-regulation on the part of the client, with respect to their needs and competencies. 
• Feedback and advice skills: We will analyze the conditions, strategies and actions for giving effective (future oriented) feedback, and train several conversational interventions related to typical (reverse) client reactions when receiving feedback or advice in a consultation or coaching setting.
• Suspension of judgement skills; We will experience our own defensive mechanisms for example when receiving feedback (on our own behavior) or when relating to clients with “obvious” or “stupid” problems. We exercise strategies to reframe defensiveness into positive commitment for change and curiosity (both in working with these clients as within ourselves), i.e., containment skills related to your judgments in situations that elicit negative emotions or thoughts
• Training design skills: We will establish together a “junior-trainer-toolbox” with several interventions for different training goals, and some start-up-strategies for successful design and execution of a training.
• Reflection skills: Throughout the entire practicum you will be asked to reflect on your professional development as a psychologist and consultant, on personal strengths and weaknesses in consultancy skills and on your professional learning attitude and future actions to further improve your professional development.

(1) Summative assessment
There are three summative test components that determine the final grade for this course. At least a passing grade must be earned for each of these test components: they cannot compensate for one another. Insufficient completion of one of the components will result in an insufficient/unsatisfactory completion of this course. See the online course manual for detailed information on the test components.

1. Compulsory active participation in all (100%) practicum meetings and assignments, plenary discussions and presentations during the practicum. We expect you to have a recognizable contribution during the sessions and exercises.
2. Video recordings of several professional consulting sessions where you perform as a consultant in a typical consultancy conversation with a client (details in the course manual). The video-recording are accompanied by a brief reflection on your professional development. For this reflection, you use the results of your development from the continuous formative assessment (see below).
3. Concluding reflection on your overall professional development as a organizational consultant experienced during the training period, including future plans for achieving lifelong learning.

(2) Formative assessment
The formative assessment does not count towards the final grade, but is important for achieving the final objectives of the course. During the course, the formative assessment gives you information on your level of development, allowing you to formulate new learning goals; to adjust your behavior and attitude; and, along with your student colleague’s, to create an optimal learning situation in preparation for the summative assessment.
 

1. Five interim multiple-choice tests on the literature and practicum material. Since the literature is a necessary part of this skills training, it is tested beginning in week 2 with five multiple-choice subtests at the beginning of the Monday sessions. The results of the tests are immediately discussed in the group (formative feedback and discussion/reflection). Objective: testing of knowledge, reflection on the strengths and gaps in your knowledge, and the consequences for your effective performance as psychologist/consultant.
2. Regular interim peer feedback on your professional learning attitude. This is a proactive and professional attitude that you will need for the rest of your life as a consultant. The criteria for the professional learning attitude can be found in the online course manual. This attitude is evaluated weekly by your peers, which provides concrete opportunities for you to develop your performance as a junior psychologist/consultant.
3. Peer feedback on your individual level and development of specific consultancy skills during and after exercises and consultancy sessions.
4. Feedback on communication skills at an individual level, via video recordings of conversation sessions and other consultancy situations (such as the entrance phase).
5. Lecturer feedback after exercises, mostly in the form of collective discussions of pitfalls and alternative behavior options, and by giving best-practice examples.
6. At least one feedback session with the lecturer during individual training for one of the consultancy skills.

Calculation of final grade

• Summative test component 1 receives a grade of pass or fail.
• Summative test component 2 receives a number grade from 1 to 10.
• Summative test component 3 receives a number grade from 1 to 10.
• Rules for resits can be found in the online course manual.