When trying to communicate with clients, oftentimes there are barriers that prevent effective communication. Nonverbal barriers include facial expressions, posture, voice, and physical proximity to the client, while verbal barriers include inherently destructive verbal responses and counterproductive patterns of communication.

Counterproductive patterns of communication are barriers that prevent effective communication with clients, and they contain these sub-categories:

1. Inappropriate use of questions
2. Inappropriate or excessive interruption
3. Dominating interaction
4. Fostering social interaction with a client
5. Passive responding
6. Parroting and overuse of phrases or cliches
7. Dwelling on the remote past
8. Inappropriate use of self-disclosure

An extremely irritating response to the client is when the counselor "parrots" the client's communications. A counselor can see that a client is annoyed if he/or she makes statements like "I just said that." Overusing phrases or cliches should also be avoided. Examples of phrases to avoid are "like", "you know", and "totally", all of which usually annoy the client and distract him/or her during the treatment session. A few cliches that the counselor should not use too often in front of the client are "that stinks", "getting it on", "way out there", "whatever", etc. These types of phrases frequently occur when the counselor is treating adolescents or young people and is trying too hard to connect with them. Ironically, instead of connecting with the individual, the counselor will frequently alienate the individual by appearing fake.