Writing apprehension needs to be understood and solutions found for it so that students' fears can be lessened and their success with writing increased. Carl Roger's client-centered, nondirective psychotherapy applies well to teaching composition. Composition teachers need to be real, empathic, and accepting, and should thus shed their authoritarian facades--specifically the facade of confidence, which means revealing their vulnerability--and they should value their students' feelings, opinions, and individuality. Empathy is more than understanding: it is knowing; teachers' fears are often similar to their students', but they must recognize the similarity in order to better empathize. Using Daly's Writing Apprehension Test, University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) freshman composition students were studied to determine the degree of attitude improvement during one semester. Results indicated that taking UMKC freshman composition does not necessarily reduce writing apprehension, and that writing apprehension tests need to be given at the beginning of a course to identify fearful students so they can be helped. Extensive tables of data are provided. (SRT)