Begin with the roleplay
Start with four quick choices, then begin the session.
Tell the Studio:
Starting mode — roleplay or supervisor feedback
Level — beginner, intermediate, or advanced
Broad training area — for example anxiety, low mood, grief, burnout, relationship distress, panic, health anxiety, OCD-like checking, trauma-related guardedness, substance coping, or stress and adjustment
Interview style — Carl Rogers / person-centred, CBT, ACT, MI, IFS, EFT, or general process practice
A simple way to start is:
“Roleplay, intermediate, anxiety, general process practice.”
A fast usable format might be:
“Roleplay. Beginner. Relationship distress. Person-centred.”
The Studio will then generate a fictional client and respond only as the client. The case is created from the broad area and difficulty level, not from your personal details.
Once the case begins, respond to the client material in your own words as the interaction unfolds.
Continue with the roleplay
As the roleplay develops, continue step by step as you would in a real counselling interaction. Stay close to what the client is bringing, follow the case prompts, and allow the conversation to unfold gradually.
Some cases will remain relatively straightforward. Others are designed so that more important emotional or contextual material only emerges through strong counselling process. This means the quality of your listening, pacing, and exploration will shape what becomes available in the session.
You can move in and out of roleplay and supervisor feedback whenever needed, then continue the session with that feedback in mind.
Ask for supervisor feedback during or after the session
You can request supervisor feedback at any point in the roleplay, or wait until the end for a fuller review.
You may ask for:
- ongoing supervisor feedback after each response
- feedback at selected points in the interaction
- a debrief of the entire session at the end
For example:
“Supervisor mode please.”
“Give me feedback on this response.”
“Give me a full debrief of the whole session.”
This allows the Studio to function both as a live coaching environment and as a fuller supervisory review tool.
Use the feedback to deepen the training
Depending on the mode, the Studio can help you review:
- what worked well
- where your response became too leading, interpretive, advice-driven, or prematurely intervention-focused
- missed opportunities for deeper exploration
- stronger alternative directions
- the likely effect of your responses on rapport, alliance, and depth of exploration
You can then continue the roleplay, retry a response, or review the session in more depth.
Practical prompts
You may find it helpful to begin with prompts such as:
“I’d like to practise a beginner case.”
“Give me an intermediate CBT case.”
“I’d like an advanced person-centred roleplay.”
“Give me an ACT case involving grief.”
“I’d like to practise a case about relationship conflict.”
To guide feedback during the session, you might ask:
“Continue with the roleplay.”
“Supervisor mode.”
“Give me feedback after each response.”
“Pause and debrief this turn.”
“What did I miss here?”
“What would have been a stronger alternative direction?”
“Can you do a turn-by-turn process audit?”
“Please debrief the entire session.”
What the process can reveal
Used well, the Studio can reveal:
- how you naturally respond under pressure
- whether you stay with the client or move too quickly
- where you become too leading or advice-driven
- whether you can tolerate uncertainty and let deeper material emerge
- which counselling strengths are already developing well
- where your main growth edges currently are
A good way to approach the Studio
The Counselling Skills Studio works best when used as a training environment rather than a performance environment. The aim is not to sound perfect. The aim is to see your counselling process more clearly, receive structured feedback on it, and improve through repeated practice and reflection.