This chat is not a simulation like the others in this series. It’s an excerpt from a detailed record of real-life counselling, which could equally be long-term listening at 7 Cups.
The client
The client, here called Barbara, is sixteen and in high school in the US. She saw the counsellor, a psychologist, for fifteen one-hour sessions, during which Barbara was able to resolve some confusion about what we might now call her gender identity.
But all this happened about 80 years ago. It appeared in a book published in 1942. Some of the language and culture are different from today, and the term gender identity didn’t exist back then.
The counsellor
The counsellor’s approach closely matches the approach taught in listener training at 7 Cups. It is based on accurate empathic reflection, and the counsellor is careful to avoid making any suggestions that Barbara didn’t introduce into the conversation herself. The counsellor is also careful to avoid trying to solve Barbara’s problems.
The story of Barbara’s counselling is in this 12-page PDF document: Barbara
The book it came from is worth reading for its many other examples of active listening: Counselling and Psychotherapy: Newer Concepts in Practice, by Carl R. Rogers (Google Books).