"Yes, I know what the theory says, but what do I do with that client?" That is a question Dr. Wayne Perry often hears as he works with beginning counselors or therapists. It is the question Basic Counseling Techniques seeks to answer. Born out of Dr. Perry"s more than twenty-years" experience training marriage and family therapists, professional counselors, and pastoral counselors, this book skips the theory and goes right for the practical application. Students in counseling or therapy training programs will find Basic Counseling Techniques an essential part of their studies. This textbook beings by providing practical suggestions for setting up the therapy room, using audio-visual recording equipment, and conducting those first critical interviews. Nine chapters provide the basic steps to actually applying nine different sets of clinical tools, and guidelines for selecting the appropriate tool for the appropriate clinical situation. This second edition also includes an entire chapter on the clinical thinking process, which can help beginning therapists sort through the myriad of options and select the "right" therapy for a particular client. That makes this textbook unique in the field. Each of the chapters concludes with a "Living Into the Lesson" section to give the reader experiential exercises to apply that chapter"s skills.