ABSTRACT
As with getting our hands on any new skills, a novice counselor will experience a learning curve while acquiring counseling skills and techniques—a learning curve that is akin to a journey through a jungle. This chapter addresses the adjustments needed as beginning therapists on this journey. If they allow these adjustments to happen, the skills will work in them, change them, and permeate their practice. With the knowledge and insights imparted in this chapter, trainees will enthusiastically embark on their journey to:
Understand the stages of change and the stages of counseling
Change their ineffective, habitual response style
Hone the skill of the therapeutic language
Overcome their performance anxiety
Engage in a self-reflective practice
