I was a little intimidated at the beginning of my first solo-consultation in the WC today. When the client explained that he was getting ready to apply for post-graduate work, I thought I might be in over my head. None of my other observations or experiences had been with anyone past the undergraduate level. I felt pretty good about working with peers, but could someone who already had a degree be my peer?

I knew from class, readings, and experience that the answer was yes, but I still doubted myself a little bit (is this common for consultants?). I believe strongly in collaborative learning, and yet, for a moment, I wasn’t sure what I could bring to the session.

This all changed once we read through the piece. By asking questions of the client, I learned a lot about his concerns with the piece and what he planned on doing with it. I felt like we both began asking good questions of the text. We talked about audience and purpose and how that relates to structure. I was able to offer some feedback about his writing process, and the consultant who observed helped a great deal, as well. The client even ended by asking if he could work with one of us again.

I don’t usually get jumpy about stuff, but there was just something about his position in academics that got to me. It was almost as if a professor had asked me to critique something, but I think that even then, I could probably still contribute something. It was nice to be reassured by the session that I, as part of the community, can be of service to someone far more advanced in their education than me.