THE CLIENT FEELING THE COUNSELLOR'S EMPATHY AND UNCONDITIONAL POSITIVE REGARD is one of the hidden conditions. For the client to experience the counsellors EMPATHY the counsellor must gain credibility in the clients mind that they have a good ability to successfully reflect (relay) their experiencing back to them. For the client to experience the counsellors UNCONDITIONAL POSITIVE REGARD (UPR) they must feel truly accepted as an individual and trust that the counsellor's valuing of them is authentic and without any conditions placed upon them to justify that valuing. When these objectives are achieved the client will feel safe and supported and in a position to bravely enter a therapeutic journey of self exploration.

THE CLIENT BEING INCONGRUENT is the second of the hidden conditions. INCONGRUENCE is a state of cognitive functioning in which the individuals thoughts and actions are in conflict with their deeply individual values and beliefs. The battle that INCONGRUENCE instigates within the client generates psychological distress that justifies the therapeutic intervention. The goal of therapy is therefore to replace the client’s distressing INCONGRUENCE with a state of psychologically healthy CONGRUENCE.

The final hidden condition is that the client and therapist must be in PSYCHOLOGICAL CONTACT, where they are able to productively perceive each other within a counselling relationship. Barriers to psychological contact might be if either party are experiencing psychosis or are incapacitated due to drugs or alcohol.