Teaching attitudes and skills in microcounseling

This is the first of two papers describing salient aspects of the behavioral science orientation curriculum in the Charleston Family Practice Residency that focus on developing counseling skills. Two short lectures preceding microcounseling training are summarized. One short lecture outlines the myth of medical management and differentiates a "problem oriented" from a "client oriented" model. The second short lecture presents the definition of communication as a culturally structured complementary series of behaviors. Microcounseling, which is an experientially oriented series of communication exercises, is presented in detail. The article concludes with a discussion of the specific advantages and disadvantages of this particular learning format and its implications for the practice of family medicine.