I used to work in a university Career Services center. There, I learned that one of the toughest job interview questions was, “How do you define success?” It’s time I answer that question myself.

From my experience, productive counseling meetings incorporate three main therapeutic skills:

• I provide concentrated attention: capacity to listen, presence, and track the main points from our prior conversations
• I help someone expand their story: exposing & exploring additional layers
• I offer concrete options, alternative actions, and resources