Respond to the below post. Responses should be substantive and contribute to the conversation by asking questions, respectfully debating positions, and presenting supporting information relevant to the topic.

The premise of nondirective listening is that given the right counselor attitude, clients are capable of self-expression and allows the client to guide the counseling session (Sommers-Flanagan & Sommers-Flanagan, 2017). Through the use of the counselors congruence, unconditional positive regard, empathic understanding, attending behaviors, and nondirective behaviors, clients are able to facilitate self-expression talk. With nondirective listening clients are reassured they are being heard and understood by the counselor which allows the client to become open and trust the counselors building a healthy and safe counseling relationship. Nondirective listening helps build rapport and focuses on the client. Limitations include addressing only surface level thoughts and feelings shared by the client and giving the client control of the session.

Directive listening assumes that clients benefit from guidance or direction from the counselor (Sommers-Flanagan & Sommers-Flanagan, 2017). This form of listening allows the client to examine and possibly change their thinking or behaviors. Directive listening consists of six counselor behaviors: feeling validation; interpretive reflection of feeling; interpretation; confrontation; immediacy; and questions. This form of listening allows the counselor to guide the client into self-exploration allowing the client to dig deeper into their thoughts and feelings to find possible underlying issues/feelings. It challenges the clients perceptions and thought process. Limitations of directive listening include the lack of empowerment for client self-discovery and outcomes may be temporary or dependent on external validation.

Person-centered approach focuses on the client and what the client talks about. It is built on the three core conditions of congruence, unconditional positive regard, and empathic understanding. Basic interviewing methods align with these principles as they allow the client to express their thoughts and feelings in an honest, trusting, nonjudgmental, and empathetic environment building rapport and client self-awareness.