Started my practicum in counseling today. As of next week, I'll be released on an unsuspecting world, available two nights a week as therapist-in-training at a local community college counseling center.

But tonight was all about formalities. We learned how to set up and operate the video cameras that will be trained on us for every moment we interact with the client. We learned where the toilets were. We learned how we'll be assessed.

I think it started to freak me out just a little. Not the part about being on video, but the part where I'm going to be "helping" people, particularly through the concept of being "in relation" to me. I'm a rather provocative person and create all sorts of interesting transference in my friends. But I have no idea what clients will make of me. No idea at all.

By way of self-soothing in this experience, it helps me to remember that I had some kind of funky thing going on when I worked as a reporter. People spilling their guts to me was a regular occurrence. I don't usually have trouble getting people to talk to me, particularly when they believe it's my job to listen to them.

But what about that "helping" part? Can I really just kick in a Rogerian approach and let *that* be the helping part? I can't imagine it's as simple as that. But my instructor tonight was telling me be believes it is -- that empathy, warmth, genuiness and unconditional positive regard really are the "necessary and sufficient" conditions for change.

Well, we shall see.

But more: Is it actually possible for me to channel Carl Rogers and still be genuine?

My bet is on NO.

Rather, I'm gonna have to somehow embody *myself* and still create a safe space for a person to divulge what's "really" bothering them. It's not going to look like Carl Rogers at all.

So wish me luck.