Philosophically, I will borrow some terminology from Pratt's Perspectives (Pratt & Collins, 2000) to describe myself as developmental/nurturing. I allow the following beliefs to guide me:

I believe that I do not hold the solutions and that success needs to be attributed to the client's/learner's efforts and abilities.

• To me this means that there is a partnership or mutual responsibility between myself and the client on the road to success. I cannot "fix"people or impose my values and judgments on others. The plan for change cannot be mine. The client/learner needs ownership over the process. The client/learner and I together will create a plan, and the client/learner needs to be a participant in the process.

• In my opinion, empathy and understanding are key factors in building a relationship. The quality of a relationship is important. I must show that I care about the experiences the client/learner brings to the table and about the impact such experiences have on his/her life. Yet, I must be willing to challenge the person to think beyond their normal responses to a situation so that they might grow and learn. Someone once said "The height of insanity is doing things the same way and hoping they turn out differently" (Common phrase, author unknown).

• I trust and respect my clients/learners-their beliefs, their experiences, their thoughts and opinions-I view myself and the client/learner as equals. I believe we learn from each other. My aim is to earn the trust and respect of my clients/learners. When there is a high level of trust and respect, I believe the outcomes of the relationship can be much more effective.

• This belief builds on the empathy, respect, and trust discussed in the preceding beliefs. When empathy, respect, and trust exist, I can get at the values, assumptions, and biases that a person holds and perhaps present alternative thoughts or methods that allow for discussion. From discussion, different perspectives and new knowledge emerge. I also need to engage the client/learner and create a safe atmosphere for such discussion and challenges to take place-an atmosphere where people feel safe to share their thoughts and feel secure enough to consider other perspectives.

• Sometimes I find that the clients/learners who seem easy to work with didn't really need my assistance. With very little guidance, input, or reaffirmation of their path, these people seem to find their way. However, the clients/learners that present some challenge, perhaps showing little interest in participating in the process, are the ones I have found to be struggling and in need of assistance. I have had clients/learners tell me that they felt people in general had stopped believing in them and given up on them but had never really stopped to understand the bigger picture. I try to remind myself that everyone has a story and maybe, if I make the effort to understand, the client/learner might begin to trust me enough to begin moving forward.

• I believe in breaking down the bigger picture and creating an approach of small steps. Each time a small step is achieved, there is an opportunity to celebrate a success. In my opinion, the more times a client/learner experiences success, the momentum for change and the motivation to continue increase.

• I believe that the past experiences, external social support systems have a large impact on client/learner success. As a counsellor or trainer of adults, I have to be sensitive to what else is going on in the client/learner's life and work with the person to ensure that resources, tools, coping skills, and knowledge fit their reality.