The Heart of Counseling: Practical Counseling Skills Through Therapeutic Relationships

by Jeff L. Cochran, Nancy H. Cochran

Now in its third edition, The Heart of Counseling is a key resource helping students to understand the importance of therapeutic relationships and to develop the qualities that make the therapeutic relationships they build with clients the foundation of healing.

In these pages, students will learn how all skills arise from, and are directly related to, the counselor's development and how they build therapeutic relationships. Student learning ranges from therapeutic listening and empathy to structuring sessions, from explaining counseling to clients and caregivers to providing wrap-around services, and ultimately to experiencing therapeutic relationships as the foundation of professional and personal growth.

Enhancing development with extensive online student and instructor materials, this new edition includes:



extensive case studies and discussions on applying skills in school and agency settings



specific guidance on how to translate the abstract concepts of therapeutic relationships into concrete skill sets



exploration of counseling theories and tasks within and extending from core counseling skills



session videos that bring each chapter to life



test banks, an instructor's guide, slides and lesson notes, syllabus, and video sessions index

Genres: Counselling, Psychology

384 pages, Paperback

First published June 9, 2005

Reviews

[Maddie Frame · Rating 2 out of 5]

mid

[Azita Saed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. The only textbook I've ever read cover to cover. Every page radiates warmth, compassion, and passion for healing. Not just counseling -- the book teaches humanity. I feel very lucky to have had the author teach counseling skills from this textbook. Now that my digital copy is expiring, I will buy the print version to refer to throughout my education when I need to be reminded of the inherent goodness of my clients and all people.

[Monster · Rating 1 out of 5]

Over half of the chapter on "diversity" was about working with children.

[Jenae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written very approachably, especially for a textbook. Could have spent more time on diversity.

[Alex Byerly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book to start with in the counseling profession. It boils down to the idea that you can learn all the tricks you want to aid in the counseling process, but it is all moot if you do not utilize unconditional positive regard and therapeutic listening.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A textbook for introductory counseling techniques, focued mainly on Roger's unconditional positive regard, therapeutic listening, and expressing empathy to clients. A great refresher for me who's been out of the field for 5+ years but hopes to return. The authors (a husband and wife counseling team) gave great case studies from their years of experience. I enjoyed reading their applications of good counseling technique. Not fun to read necessarily (because it was sometimes dry) but still interesting. Also provided great examples of how to deal with clients in the process of commitment and other at-risk clients (i.e., suicidal or abusive).

[Enso · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best practical book on being a counselor that I've read so far.