What might you do in a typical first session with a student?

In my first session with a student, I place equal importance on going over the class material and assessing the core issues that the student is having.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

It's important to understand that as a student, the most pivotal thing you can do is put in long hours trying to solve problems on your own. Realizing the process to solve a problem is much more powerful than being told the process. These realizations will predominantly only come from epiphanies when working on your own.

If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?

If one method of teaching doesn't work, there is always another. From pictures to metaphors, demonstrations to real world examples and explanations, I would do my best to use whatever technique is required of me to get my student to understand a concept or skill.