This chapter focuses on the development of my consultancy practice in health prior to and during my professional training as a health psychologist. Drawing on my experience working with a charity dedicated to improving the quality of life for older adults, I first discuss the external status of the consultant and the boundaries of the consultant/client relationship. In the context of the Boundary Model of Relationships (Kitay & Wright, Take the money and run? Organisational boundaries and consultants’ roles. The Service Industries Journal, 24(3), 1–18, 2004), I explore how consultants occupy insider and outsider positions within the external consultant role. Discussion of the complexity of consultant/client boundaries draws upon my experiences of being both an advisor and an implementer. The proposed consultancy framework for health psychologists outlined in this book (Brady & Varkonyi-Sepp, A framework for consultancy in health psychology. In R. Brady, J. Varkonyi-Sepp & J. Smith (Eds.), The Palgrave Handbook of Consultancy in Health Psychology. Palgrave Macmillan, 2025) is also discussed. I reflect on the importance of enquiry, on the iterative process of engagement with the client, and how a shared understanding and awareness about boundaries and roles are useful for successful consulting. In my exploration of client/consultant relationships, I draw on the work of Edgar Schein and Peter Block to discuss how understanding the client organisation and the staff working within it requires both high levels of interpersonal and intrapersonal (self-awareness) skills.