Consultation is a deviation from the therapeutic framework, & there are potential dangers. A case example is used to illustrate the phases of the consultation process; from the decision to consult, the way it is arranged, the type of consultation, & the result on the patient-therapist relationship. A brief examination of the intrapsychic & interpersonal dynamics of the suicidal patient highlights his/her vulnerability to seeing the deviation in technique as a disruption. 18 ref.