Which of the following is a common technique used in individual counseling?

Active listening is a fundamental technique in individual counseling that plays a crucial role in building rapport between the counselor and the client. This technique involves the counselor fully concentrating, understanding, responding, and remembering what the client is saying. Through active listening, the counselor demonstrates empathy and validates the client's feelings, which helps to create a safe and supportive environment. This encourages clients to express themselves more openly, leading to a deeper understanding of their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.

While intervention planning is also an important aspect of counseling, it typically comes after establishing a strong therapeutic relationship through techniques like active listening. Career assessments are primarily used for vocational guidance and may not be directly applicable in all individual counseling contexts. Group discussions, on the other hand, are more suited for group therapy settings rather than individual counseling, where the focus is on one-on-one interaction. Hence, active listening stands out as the key technique used to facilitate effective individual counseling sessions.