This article describes the use of a participant-observation experiment as an alternative form of counseling. Two college counselors shared the same experiences as a group of entering freshman students and later used their shared knowledge to better establish counseling rapport. A review of the literature shows several applied anthropology and classic fostering psychotherapeutic approaches. The results suggest that this experiential method was a successful way of bridging the transition from the counseling setting to an actual functioning milieu with this particular group of young adults. This method has applications in workplace and family settings as well.