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In the first stage of a helping relationship, the client may not be entirely forthcoming about what they really want to address. Often this is because the client needs time to feel safe and comfortable with the counselor or therapist. However, some clients will move very quickly to the core of the issue or concern. Neither possibility should be a surprise to the counselor or therapist.

It is important to keep in mind that people do not automatically move through these identified stages in a lockstep manner. The relationship may end at any one of these stages based on decisions made by the client, the counselor or therapist, or both. Lack of counselor preparation and education may also disrupt this cycle. For example, in one study, lesbian and gay clients who terminated counseling prematurely reported problems related to microaggression, shaming, lack of normalizing, lack of knowledge, and imposing heteronormative values (Van Meter, 2019). As far as stages are concerned, it is not possible to identify the amount of time that should be devoted to any particular stage. Sapiro (2020) discussed how marginalized adolescent clients are reluctant to trust and disclose in counseling settings. Joo et al. (2019) recommended that Korean clients may need more time on Hill’s (2014) exploration stage and less on the insight stage. Moreover, cultural variations may call for stages and stage-related helping skills to be moderated.

Viewing the helping relationship as an ongoing process that is composed of developmental stages provides counselors and therapists with a structural framework within which they can function effectively. Inside this framework fit the core conditions and strategies that serve the goals of movement through the relationship process and enhancement and encouragement of client change. We discuss these core conditions and strategies in the following two sections.