Counselling skills training is different Let us look at a few of the ways in which learning counselling skills may differ from the types of learning you have experienced before, Strange as it may sound, much of counselling skills training is about unlearning rather than learning. Many of the ways you have learned to listen and interact in everyday life differ from how skilled co sellors work. For example, social conversations, emphasising meeting both parties' needs, difer from counselling conversations, emphasis ing meeting clients' needs. As you learn counselling skills a tension exists between the pull of the past and the requirements for present and future skilled helping. For some students a further tension exists between the pull of the counselling approach adopted in your training group and that of approaches you have been or are being exposed to elsewhere.bn