Various techniques for responding to the client can be used not only in the initial building of a relationship with the client, but throughout the entire counselor/client relationship. Commonly used responses by counselors include:

1. Attending
2. Paraphrasing
3. Reflecting
4. Clarifying
5. Leading
6. Summarizing
7. Supporting
8. Approving
9. Confronting
10. Informing
11. Interpreting
12. Assigning tasks and contracting
13. Instructing

Confrontation is a technique for responding to clients by using a sincere or constructive response on the part of the counselor to either the current situation or to a certain aspect of the client's actions. When a counselor is confronting a client, he/or she should analyze the client's thoughts, actions, and feelings, bringing forth inconsistencies, disagreements, and varied meanings.

An example of confronting a client is the client saying, "Every weekend my husband gets drunk with his friends when he's out. So the next day when he is with me, he is too hungover to do anything. It seems like our relationship should be more special to him then it is, but I don't care very much that he does that because he works very hard and needs a break." The counselor can confront the client by saying, "You mentioned first that you do not care about his behavior, but after that you said that you are distressed that your relationship is more important to you then it is to him."

In this example the client confronted the client with discrepancies in her verbal message.