ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at two aspects that seem particularly important to the author’s own practice and ongoing learning as a counsellor working with university students. The aspects are the not-always-straightforward process of contracting; and the seemingly ordinary process of talking and listening that can lead to such important change, the fundamentally human communicative process that Monin characterised as one of common interest in all areas of counselling. Working in the context of multicornered contracts is common for counsellors. Even if the client has voluntarily asked for help, there is often at least a third party invested in the client's behavioural change. Mazzetti has discussed how different laws in different countries can affect counsellors' practices, which may include restrictions on the practice of talking to facilitate change.
