ABSTRACT
T he beginning student is starting his or her professional training career in a helping field. This is an exciting and vulnerable period in the develop-ment of counselors. Entry into graduate school is coupled with the growing acknowledgment that the methods of the lay helper phase are perhaps no longer appropriate or valid. Eager to master newly learned theories and skills, beginning students tend to model their behaviors on those of experts. Accordingly, during the beginning student phase of development, trainees are often especially attuned to, and reliant upon, professors’ and supervisors’ feedback. Whether it is accurately perceived, even subtle criticism can feel crushing to beginning students. Trainees at this phase often attach their self-confidence to their supervisors’ encouragement or criticism. As a result, they are strongly dependent on their supervisors. Negative experiences in supervision can also be detrimental to beginners’ development as counselors and therapists.
