In general, counseling psychology is the field of science that deals with assisting, guiding, directing and facilitating all those who are in trouble. Psychoanalysis basically involves two people, one who assists and the other who needs assistance. The former is called a counselor and the latter one is known as the patient.

The therapist has number of roles to play. At times, he may act as a teacher who guides, or a facilitator who provides optimal environment to others to facilitate growth and development. Psychoanalysis is not just the combination of a therapist and a patient rather it involves a relationship establishment between the two. In analysis psychology, there are number of approaches (Freudian, Experiential, Behavioral, Cognitive behavioral etc.) towards the counseling process. A counselor may choose any approach according to the needs and the problems faced by his client. He does not implement the counseling approach that is easier for him to apply but the one that fulfills the demands of clients' problems. Counseling psychology highly considers the individuality of clients. There always exist differences in individuals and each individual is unique. So is the process for individuals. The basic underlining process is however same for all.

This involves four steps

Relationship establishment

Problem identification and evaluation

Planning towards problem solving

Solution and interpretation

Relationship establishment

Before the counselor can start off with finding a solution to the clients' problem, it is very important that there exists a warm and caring relationship between the two. It is totally the counselors' responsibility to make it work. The counselors' ability to build a strong relationship depends upon his congruence.

Counselors' congruence means his quality of being real, genuine and honest. Therapist should not pretend or fake his feelings and ideas about his clients. Unconditional positive regard is the other quality that a good therapist must have. This means accepting the client the way he is, without making any judgments.

Therapist respects the client regardless of his behavior or actions. Empathetic listening by therapist is also an essential of counseling process. Empathy means 'feeling with the client'. This is different from sympathy in the way that sympathy leads to self pity which is a negative approach; whereas empathy means that the counselor can feel the clients' condition and this serves as a source of satisfaction to the patient that there is someone who is experiencing the same feeling as he himself.

Problem identification and evaluation

After establishing a good relationship, therapist and the patient should together attempt to find out the problem which was faced by the patient. Here, majority of work is done by the client. The therapist just facilitates patient. After the problem is identified, the therapist would like to know that is it the real problem of the client. So, for this purpose he administers various psychological tests to evaluate his hypothesis.