The Heart of Counseling: Practical Counseling Skills Through Therapeutic Relationships

Now in its fourth 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. 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: New to this edition: recorded lectures by the first author that enable more fully experiential use of class time New to this edition: experiential classroom activity guides for each chapter, test banks, sample slides and syllabi, commonly used handouts, and other instructor guidance New session videos that bring chapters to life 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. This book is designed to help new counseling students understand, value, and implement therapeutic relationships that drive client change. Additionally, this book serves as a tool for experienced counselors feeling the need to renew and refocus their core skills of client connection, buy-in, and progress.

Table of Contents:
Introduction 1. Twelve Concepts: Roots that Ground and Grow with the Heart of Counseling 2. The Rich and Subtle Skills of Therapeutic Listening 3. Striving for Empathy 4. Expressing Empathy 5. Striving for and Communicating Unconditional Positive Regard 6. The Delicate Balance of Providing Empathy and UPR in a Genuine Manner 7. Beginning with New Clients and Questions of Client Conceptualization 8. Structuring Therapeutic Relationships 9. When Clients Need Help Getting Started 10. Managing Client Crises with Therapeutic Relationship Skills 11. Ending Therapeutic Relationships 12. Therapeutic Relationships across Cultures 13. Connecting Heart to Hand – Doing More, Going Beyond, Staying True 14. Heart and Mind – Therapeutic Relationships and Major Counseling Theories 15. Bringing Heart to All You Do 16. Growing Your Therapeutic Relationship Skills to Become Who You Are

About the Author :
Jeff L. Cochran, PhD, is professor of counselor education in the department of counseling, human development and family science at the University of Tennessee. His background of counseling work experiences includes both school and agency settings across regions of the United States and overseas. Nancy H. Cochran, MA, CAS, is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Tennessee, and a trainer and consultant of child-centered play therapy and filial family therapy. Her work includes experience as a school psychologist, counselor, and consultant in schools, agencies, and private practice across many regions of the United States and overseas.

Review :
"The latest research in the field continues to demonstrate that the therapeutic relationship is at least as important as techniques for success in counseling and psychotherapy. Jeff and Nancy Cochran’s The Heart of Counseling is the best available text on how to build and maintain a therapeutic relationship throughout the course of counseling. Its numerous examples and practical advice makes it a valuable resource for counseling students, practicing counselors, and counselor educators." Howard Kirschenbaum, EdD, author of The Life and Work of Carl Rogers and Values Clarification in Counseling and Psychotherapy "The Heart of Counseling has been my most trusted resource since I began teaching counseling skills. It combines conceptual depth with practical skill-building, supporting both the development of the therapeutic relationship and students’ professional identity. Its storied approach, emphasis on cultural humility, and engaging activities resonate with students—many share how much they enjoy the readings. With its clear, hands-on content, the textbook gives instructors a valuable tool for integrating person-centered teaching with a competency-based framework. It’s truly an essential resource for preparing future counselors." Paula Lazarim, PhD, professor of practice in counselor education at Fairfield University "I highly recommend Jeff and Nancy Cochran’s The Heart of Counseling to colleagues teaching counseling foundations and skills, even if your theoretical orientation differs. While rooted in a person-centered model, the book provided a strong foundation for my early training of students. It clearly introduced core conditions like unconditional positive regard, genuineness, and empathy, which are essential across all counseling approaches. Using this text allowed me to spend less time lecturing and more time engaging students in hands-on practice of reflections, active listening, and core skills vital to building an effective therapeutic relationship." Myia Makupson, PhD, teaching assistant professor at West Virginia University