The First Question in Counseling

CounselingFirst QuestionLife Is—Quotations MistakesQuotations CounselingRelated Pages

A Counselor or Therapist Should Ask This First

  • Garden will teach you an easy and effective Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT & REBT) system.

First question to ask and answer in mental health counseling and psychotherapy. The right questions at the right time are capable of helping people.


“The fool hates helpful criticism, the learned person tolerates it, the wise person accepts it, but only the sage seeks it.” —Kevin Everett FitzMaurice


  • Read and discover the best diagrams and maps of how people play games with your mind and heart.

First question to ask and answer in mental health counseling and psychotherapy. The right questions at the right time are capable of helping people. Games Ego Plays book cover.


  • A modern system with the best understanding of feelings, long-lasting results, and fast.
  • First Question in Counseling: This system will teach you how to make yourself better.

Feeling-Intention Therapy book cover.

First Question in Counseling

  • The first question to be answered in counseling is:
  • How do you handle the moment of correction or criticism?

First Question: EGO STYLE

  • Do you naturally run to blaming and damning yourself, others, life, and God?
  • Do you first blame and damn yourself and then blame and damn others or life to get the focus away from yourself?

First Question: HUMBLE STYLE

  • Can you use the moment to correct your thinking and decision systems?
  • Can you make corrections into your best friends so that you are continually choosing better decision systems and thinking methods?

First Question: THE CHOICE IS ONLY YOURS

  • Will the moment of correction be your path to darkness, death, and destruction?
  • Will the moment of correction be your path to light, life, and love?

First Question: THE “WHAT” QUESTION

  • What do I do when I am faced with correction?
  • Do I make it about me or my thinking?

  • A modern system with the best understanding of feelings, long-lasting results, and fast.
  • First Question in Counseling: This system will teach you how to make yourself better.

Feeling-Intention Therapy book cover.

First Question in Counseling

  • Take the path to eternal life with God.

life is a tragedy


  • A modern system with the best understanding of feelings, long-lasting results, and fast.
  • First Question in Counseling: This system will teach you how to make yourself better.

Feeling-Intention Therapy book cover.

First Question in Counseling

Quotations from Various Sources on Mistakes

Listed Alphabetically

“A fool is only a fool because he won’t see he is a fool.” —Kevin Everett FitzMaurice

“A man of genius makes no mistakes. His errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery.” —James Joyce

“But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.” —Hebrews 12:8

“By honestly acknowledging your past errors, but never damning yourself for them, you can learn to use your past for your own future benefit.” —Albert Ellis and Robert A. Harper, A Guide to Rational Living, Third Edition, p. 194

“Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way: and he that hateth reproof shall die.” —Proverbs 15:5

“Don’t tell friends their social faults; they will cure the fault and never forgive you.” —Logan Pearsall Smith, 1865-1946

“Failure doesn’t have anything to do with your intrinsic value as a person.” —Albert Ellis and Robert A. Harper, A Guide to Rational Living, Third Edition, p. 206

“For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.” —Hebrews 12:6

“If a friend tell thee a fault, imagine always that he telleth thee not the whole.” —Thomas Fuller, 1608-1661

“If all persons knew what they said of each other, there would not be four friends in the world.” —Blaise Pascal, 1623-1662

“If we eliminated all errors, we would also eliminate much discovery, art, insight, learning, and creativity that results from facing errors.” —Kevin Everett FitzMaurice

“If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?” —Hebrews 12:7

“My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:” —Proverbs 3:11

“The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism.” —Norman Vincent Peale

“To admit a mistake is also to admit you are now wiser.” —Kevin Everett FitzMaurice

“When receiving correction, the wise seeks to learn, and the fool seeks to justify with excuses.” —Kevin Everett FitzMaurice


  • A modern system with the best understanding of feelings, long-lasting results, and fast.
  • First Question in Counseling: This system will teach you how to make yourself better.

Feeling-Intention Therapy book cover.

First Question in Counseling

Quotations from Various Sources Related to Counseling

Listed Alphabetically

“A fool is only a fool because he won’t see he is a fool.” —Kevin Everett FitzMaurice

“A man of genius makes no mistakes. His errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery.” —James Joyce

“Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn’t.” —Erica Jong

“But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.” —Hebrews 12:8

“By honestly acknowledging your past errors, but never damning yourself for them, you can learn to use your past for your own future benefit.” —Albert Ellis and Robert A. Harper, A Guide to Rational Living, Third Edition, p. 194

“Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way: and he that hateth reproof shall die.” —Proverbs 15:5

“Failure doesn’t have anything to do with your intrinsic value as a person.” —Albert Ellis and Robert A. Harper, A Guide to Rational Living, Third Edition, p. 206

“Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” —Proverbs 27:6

“For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.” —I Peter 2:20

“For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.” —Hebrews 12:6

“If we eliminated all errors, we would also eliminate much discovery, art, insight, learning, and creativity that results from facing errors.” —Kevin Everett FitzMaurice

“If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?” —Hebrews 12:7

“Justifying a fault doubles it.” —French proverb

“My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:” —Proverbs 3:11

“No one wants advice–only corroboration.” —John Steinbeck

“Some people like my advice so much that they frame it upon the wall instead of using it.” —Gordon R. Dickson

“The greatest explorer on this earth never takes voyages as long as those of the man who descends to the depth of his heart.” —Julien Green

“The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism.” —Norman Vincent Peale

“There is no point to correction unless there is there is the possibility of correction.” —Kevin Everett FitzMaurice

“When receiving correction, the wise seeks to learn, and the fool seeks to justify with excuses.” —Kevin Everett FitzMaurice

“When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.” —Anonymous


First Question in Counseling

Quotations from Scripture on Counseling

Listed Biblically

“A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:” —Proverbs 1:5

“Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” —Proverbs 11:14

“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.” —Proverbs 12:15

“Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil: but to the counselors of peace is joy.” —Proverbs 12:20

“Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counselors they are established.” —Proverbs 15:22

“Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.” —Proverbs 19:20

“Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war.” —Proverbs 20:18

“Take counsel, execute judgment; make thy shadow as the night in the midst of the noonday; hide the outcasts; bewray not him that wandereth.” —Isaiah 16:3

“Extol not thyself in the counsel of thine own heart; that thy soul be not torn in pieces as a bull [straying alone.]” —Ecclesiasticus 6:2

“As timber girt and bound together in a building cannot be loosed with shaking: so the heart that is stablished by advised counsel shall fear at no time.” —Ecclesiasticus 22:16

“Give not over thy mind to heaviness, and afflict not thyself in thine own counsel.” —Ecclesiasticus 30:21

“A man of counsel will be considerate; but a strange and proud man is not daunted with fear, even when of himself he hath done without counsel.” —Ecclesiasticus 32:18

“And let the counsel of thine own heart stand: for there is no man more faithful unto thee than it.” —Ecclesiasticus 37:13

“Let reason go before every enterprize, and counsel before every action.” —Ecclesiasticus 38:33

“Gold and silver make the foot stand sure: but counsel is esteemed above them both.” —Ecclesiasticus 40:25


  • A modern system with the best understanding of feelings, long-lasting results, and fast.
  • First Question in Counseling: This system will teach you how to make yourself better.

Feeling-Intention Therapy book cover.

First Question: Related Pages of Free Information

  1. CBT, CT, & REBT Cognitive Psychotherapies: List Pages
  2. Coping Skills: Free Help
  3. Correction—My Friend or Foe?
  4. Counseling Issues: Free Help
  5. Emotional Responsibility: List Pages
  6. Exercises & Techniques: List Pages
  7. Feeling & Coping: Fast-Facts
  8. Quotations: Failure & Mistakes
  9. REBT (Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy): List Pages
  10. Second Question in Counseling
  11. Self-Esteem Issues: List Pages
  12. Third Question in Counseling
  13. Unconditional Self-Esteem (USE): Defined

  • Read and discover the best diagrams and maps of how people play games with your mind and heart.

The First Question in Counseling


  • A modern system with the best understanding of feelings, long-lasting results, and fast.
  • First Question in Counseling: This system will teach you how to make yourself better.

Feeling-Intention Therapy book cover.