The stage in which both counsellor and client are active, where the counsellor engages in facilitating, demonstrating, instructing, and providing a safe environment for change; and the client engages in re-evaluation, trying out new behaviours, exploring emotional and cognitive factors, and discarding old behaviours.

The stage of rapport building, information gathering, goal determination, and informing the client about the conditions under which counselling will take place.

The stage in which methods and procedures for follow-up are determined.

The stage in which the counsellor or therapist explores, in-depth, the emotional and cognitive dynamics of the client, problem parameters, previously tried solutions, and decision-making capabilities.