“Inside” consultation through self-differentiation: Stimulating organizational development in the IDF's care of intractable, war-related, traumatic disorders

This chapter discusses the epistemological shift that occurs when a member of a human-service organization who has been educated in its professional culture, and who works within its normal paradigmatic practices, becomes a systems consultant to the organization. The starting point for reflecting on inside consultation will be the process of change at the level of the person of the consultant. The organization of the installation is expressive of its basic duality. Front-line experience has indicated that the integration of military and therapeutic roles is facilitated when the staff does not experience a conflict between mental health considerations and military manpower interests. The military environment facilitated the successful application of Salmon's treatment principles by pushing and supporting the soldiers' return to combat, while the unsuccessful cases were promptly moved to the rear. The development of consultation in the Rear Care Installation demonstrated the extent to which organizational leadership is intertwined with the self-differentiation of the consultant.