Abstract

Immediacy is an advanced counseling technique that directly utilizes the counseling relationship to produce counseling outcomes. However, it is challenging to train counselors about immediacy due to its complex and intimate nature. Therefore, we explored competencies for immediacy through the concept mapping method. Eight supervisors rated the similarity and importance of the forty-five items derived from interviews with ten experienced supervisors. A two-dimensional concept map was determined to be appropriate after conducting multidimensional scale and cluster analysis. The horizontal axis was ‘Intrapersonal competency’ and ‘Interpersonal competency’. The vertical axis was ‘Experience-based competency’ and ‘Understanding-based competency’. The four clusters were ‘Accept and regulate one’s experiences’ based on the intrapersonal & experience-based competency; ‘Attune relationship with clients through interaction’ based on the interpersonal & experience-based competency; ‘Choose and implement interventions upon evaluation’ based on the interpersonal & understanding-based competency; and ‘Have theoretical and empirical understanding.’ based on the intrapersonal & understanding-based competency. Finally, we discussed the relational meaning of immediacy, the study’s implications for counselor education and training, as well as its limitations.