The three concepts I chose to identify for this book report assignment are basic empathy, motivation, and reframing. I believe these concepts are important for consultants as skills. The first concept I will discuss is that of empathy, which is discussed in chapter six (Shebib, 2003). Empathy is the ability to correctly interpret another person's feelings to show them that you understand them. So, empathy is not something we have, but something we do. Empathy is a skill and an attitude and not a feeling (sympathy is a feeling). It's about being able and willing to understand another person from their point of view, without your own thoughts, feelings, opinions and judgments getting in the way of this understanding. This can be difficult if you have a strong reaction to someone, or if you don't agree with what they're saying, or if you've had a similar experience and feel you can give some helpful advice. Empathy is essential in counseling because it helps build a relationship between the client and the counselor, helps clients label their feelings, and helps the counselor understand how the client thinks or feels. Therefore, empathy plays a very important role in counseling relationships. There are three types of empathy: basic, inferred, and invited. Basic empathy is when the counselor responds to the client what they feel. According to Shebib (1993) “With basic empathy, no attempt is made to interpret, judge, or foster greater awareness or insight beyond what the client has already articulated” (p. 170). The example listed below shows basic empathy: CUSTOMER: I don't understand why my friend has been ignoring my phone calls for the past three months. ... middle of paper ...... you are young, and there are still "many fish in the sea", so to speak! CLIENT: Yes, that's really true!, I never thought about it. CONSULTANT: Also, take this as a learning experience, I'm sure you've learned something from this, which you can carry with you throughout your life. CUSTOMER: This is very true. Thanks, I always thought negatively about my old relationships, but there is always something positive that can be taken from past relationships too. (Triad Quote, 2006) To conclude, there are many other concepts and skills that make a great consultant that I could most likely write a book about. I felt like I addressed three important concepts of effective consultants: motivation, reframing, and empathy. REFERENCES Shebib, B. (1993). Choices: Interviewing and counseling skills for Canadians. Toronto: Prentice Hall.