How Can a Counselor Respond Accurately to a Client's Experiences

How can a counselor respond accurately to a client's experiences, thoughts, and behaviors? Consider the following examples and propose possible responses.
a. Tina had been mugged and, as a result, was very fearful of leaving her apartment. Meeting with her counselor required Tina to leave her apartment and take a bus to the counseling center. Tina arrived, in typical fashion, with alcohol on her breath and acknowledged that drinking alcohol enabled her to leave home. After several weeks, Tina arrived without alcohol on her breath and commented, "So, I finally did it. I finally made it here without drinking, which I consider to be progress."
b. Paulo decided to come out to his family as gay. He was concerned about how they would take his news, so he and his counselor role-played several possibilities. When he arrived for his counseling session after coming out to his family, he laughed and said, "They said they knew along and were just waiting for me to realize it!"