Assessment in counseling—like its biblical counterpart, discernment—is an ongoing and dynamic routine to encourage movement toward genuine change. Becoming a better therapist or pastoral caregiver requires a deliberate strategy on two fronts: implementing assessment into care that establishes benchmarks to track change (practice-based evidence) and entering a helping partnership as a comforted comforter in search of wisdom to stimulate spiritual formation (empirically supported relationship). In this session, a flexible assessment structure will be provided.