English instructors try to convince students, sometimes in vain, of their need to learn composition. Through the use of counseling techniques, it is in the instructor's hands to build relationships with students that empower them as individuals and make them want to write well. First, an instructor can build trust by fulfilling promises and assuring students that nothing negative or demeaning will be said about them. Second, by reversing roles with students, instructors can empower students as authors; a simple repositioning of body posture can convey to a student that they share authority in a student-teacher conference. Third, since the comfort zone varies from person to person, an instructor can be sensitive to a student's need for space during conferences. Fourth, by mirroring the student's body posture, instructors may become more aware of that student's emotional state than they would be otherwise. Fifth, by responding to questions with apt questions or by waiting longer than usual for answers, an instructor may help students to generate their own thinking. Sixth, instructors can help students to recognize themselves as strong writers through three techniques: validation (offering compliments about a student's writing), use of positive dominant thought (sending students positive messages about their abilities), and grounding (touching the student lightly when making an important point). Finally, it is most important that an instructor assume enough control and set up enough structure to assure students that the environment is safe enough to take risks. (TB)