In behavioral counseling,assessment focuses on observable symptoms.In order to measure a client's progress in therapy it is first necessary to get ____________________.

A) a sense of relationship patterns
B) an assessment of defense mechanisms
C) a baseline of symptomatic behavior
D) one's road map for life

Assessment in behavioral counseling focuses on observable symptoms, and in order to measure progress, it is necessary to establish a baseline of symptomatic behavior. This provides a starting point for tracking changes and improvements over the course of therapy. While relationship patterns and defense mechanisms may also be explored in counseling, they are not as directly tied to observable behavior and may not be as useful in measuring progress. "One's road map for life" is not a relevant concept to the specific focus of assessment in behavioral counseling.