1. Establish trust.

2. Briefly define the goals and objectives of counseling.

3. Identify and adjust client expectations from counseling.

4. Motivate the client to cooperate with you.

5. Encourage the client to tell a detailed story about the situation that brought him to you:

• listen to the client’s presentation of the problem;

• determine the locus of the client’s complaint (what, who is he complaining about);

• help the client adjust the formulation of the problem if, in his presentation, it is insoluble or its solution depends entirely on other people;

• specify how long this problem has existed;

• identify the impact this problem has on the client’s life;

• ask how he feels about this problem

6. Help the client understand his contribution to the problem.

7. Help the client clearly articulate his difficulties.

8. Come to an understanding with the client about what exactly their problem is and how you can help resolve it.

9. Desired changes:

• help the client understand what exactly does not suit him in the current situation and what exactly he wants to change;

• adjust the client’s expectations if they are unrealistic and do not concern changes in oneself or one’s own relationships with someone or something, but are related to other people;

• identify markers by which the client will understand that the desired changes have occurred.

10. Alternative ways to solve the problem:

• help the client formulate different ways to solve the problem;

• find out which method is the most appropriate;

• create an experimental situation in which the client could try out new forms of behavior.

11. Search for resources:

• ask the client about his strengths, capabilities and potential;

• find out from the client how he overcame similar situations and what personal resources he relied on;

• Discuss with the client ways in which he can get support.

12. Eco-friendly check:

• find out what was new for the client during the consultation;

• clarify (if this is not the first consultation) whether anything has changed in the client’s life after your work;

• ask if the client behaves differently as a result of counseling;

• find out what exactly he is going to do today, tomorrow in order to implement what he decided to do during the consultation; • find out at follow-up meetings what the client has done from the planned program of action and support him in those areas where positive changes are observed.