ABSTRACT
Level II is perhaps the most difficult of the stages of development to describe and experience. It is a phase of therapist development that is “awkward.”
The “awkwardness” we refer to is expected and natural. The developing therapist has certainly become much more comfortable in being with clients. The Level II practitioner is also more at home in clinical settings, is more at ease with clients, and genuinely understands (and has experienced) the value of establishing rapport, developing therapeutic relationships, and even creating positive and enduring therapeutic alliances. The Level II’s listening skills, both linear and nonlinear, and ability to more effectively “read between the lines” of what a client is saying have also improved markedly. Level II practitioners listen not just mechanically but also with the enthusiastic understanding that such listening serves the therapeutic relationship.
