Counselling skills I: listening and attending

Abstract

Listening and attending are by far the most important aspects of the counselling process. Often the best counselling is that which involves the counsellor only listening to the other person. Unfortunately, most of us feel that we are obliged of talk! Unfortunately, too, it is overtalking by the counsellor that is least productive. If we can train ourselves to give our full attention to the other person and really listen, we can do much to help them. First, we need to discriminate between the two processes — attending and listening.