Building a Counseling Relationship

The most important element in successful counselling is a good relationship between the counsellor and the clients. A trusting relationship grows when clients can see the counsellor:

is warm, welcoming, kind;
will not tell other people about their problems;
understands, accepts, and respects their situation and feelings, and will not make negative judgments; and
believes the problem can be solved and believes they have the ability to solve the problem, with some help.