To increase competence and confidence when interacting with gifted students, teachers must be equipped with basic counseling skills and strategies to employ in their classrooms. NAGC/CEC Professional Standard 5 emphasizes five skills educators should master; new Program Standards emphasize positive learning environments and social skills educators should model and facilitate. In this interactive session, teachers learn basic counseling skills, putting them into practice through role playing exercises. The presenters explain basic psychological concepts that impact the dynamics between educators and students. To illustrate these concepts, case examples are provided and discussion encouraged.