What is the demonstration of concern and interest from a counselor towards a client referred to as?

The demonstration of concern and interest from a counselor towards a client is referred to as attending. Attending involves being present and fully engaged with the client during interactions. This includes verbal attentiveness, such as acknowledging what the client is saying, as well as non-verbal cues like maintaining eye contact, nodding, and employing open body language. These actions help to convey empathy and understanding, which can significantly enhance the therapeutic relationship. By showing that they are truly listening and invested in the client's experiences, counselors can foster a trusting environment that encourages open communication and deeper exploration of issues.

Feedback, summarizing, and probing are all valuable counseling techniques, but they serve different purposes. Feedback typically involves reflecting back what the client has said or offering insights; summarizing consolidates information shared in the session, and probing involves asking more in-depth questions to explore specific topics further. While these techniques are important in the counseling process, they are not primarily focused on the demonstration of concern and interest in the way that attending is.