Includes bibliographical references (pages 179-184) and index.

Who are counsellors and helpers? -- What are basic counselling skills? -- Helpers and helpees as diverse persons -- What you bring to counselling and helping -- The helping relationship -- The helping process -- Understanding the internal frame of reference -- Showing attention and interest -- Paraphrasing and reflecting feelings -- Starting, structuring and summarizing -- Asking questions -- Monitoring -- Offering challenges and feedback -- Self-disclosing -- Managing resistances and making referrals -- Facilitating problem solving -- Coaching, demonstrating and rehearsing -- Improving helpees' self-talk -- Improving helpees' rules -- Improving helpees' perceptions -- Negotiating homework -- Conducting middle sessions -- Ending helping -- Introduction to relaxation -- Managing crises -- Ethical issues and dilemmas -- Multicultural and gender aware helping -- Getting support and being supervised -- Becoming more skilled -- Appendixes: 1. Annotated bibliography -- 2. Professional associations in Britain, Australia and USA.

For all who use counselling skills as part of their role, this manual offers a step-by-step guide. Divided into concise learning units, the book describes each skill and gives examples of its use in practice.