Person-centred therapy, also known as person-centred or client-centred counselling, is a humanistic approach that deals with the ways in which individuals perceive themselves consciously, rather than how a counsellor can interpret their unconscious thoughts or ideas.
The core purpose of person-centred therapy is to facilitate our ability to self-actualise - the belief that all of us will grow and fulfil our potential. This approach facilitates the personal growth and relationships of a client by allowing them to explore and utilise their own strengths and personal identity. The counsellor aids this process, providing vital support to the client and they make their way through this journey.
3. CARL ROGERS
● Rogers originally developed his theory to be the
foundation for a system of therapy.
● He initially called this "non-directive therapy" but later
replaced the term "non-directive" with the term
"client-centered" and then later used the term
"person-centered".
● Works written: The clinical treatment of the pro…
● Born: January 8, 1902, Oak Park
● Died: February 4, 1987, La Jolla
● Profession: Psychologist, Civil engineer 3
4. ● Rogers strongly believed that in order for a client's
condition to improve therapists should be warm, genuine
and understanding. The starting point of the Rogerian
approach to counseling and psychotherapy is best stated
by Rogers (1986) himself:
'It is that the individual has within himself or herself vast
resources for self-understanding, for altering his or her
self-concept, attitudes and self-directed behavior - and
that these resources can be tapped if only a definable
climate of facilitative psychological attitudes can be
provided'
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6. VIEWS OF HUMAN NATURE
● In Rogers client centred therapy, human beings are seen as
possessing goodness and the desire to become fully functioning i.e.
to live as effectively as possible.
● According to Rogers, if people are permitted to develop freely, they
will flourish and become positive, achieving individuals.
● Because Rogers’s theory expresses faith in human nature, it is
considered as humanistic approach to counselling.
● Rogers client centred therapy is based on a theory of personality
referred to as self-theory.
● An individual’s view of self within the context of environment
influences his actions and personal satisfactions.
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● If provided with a nurturing environment, people will grow with confidence
toward self-actualisation.
● If they do not receive love and support from significant others, they will likely
to see themselves as lacking in worth and see others as untrustworthy.
● Behaviour will become defensive and growth toward self actualisation will be
hampered.
● An important principle of self theory is the belief that a person’s perceptions of
self and environment are reality for that person.
● For example, if an individual sees himself as incompetent, he will act on that
belief, even if others view him as brilliant. This personal reality may be changed
through counselling but not by a direct intervention as substituting the
judgement of the counsellor for that of the client.
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8. Thus, the client centered therapist’s perception of people is
based on four key
beliefs:
1) People are trustworthy
2) People innately move toward self – actualisation and
health
3) People have the inner resources to move themselves in
positive directions and
4) People respond to their uniquely perceived world.
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9. GOALS OF CLIENT CENTERED THERAPY
● Two primary goals of person centered therapy are increased self
esteem and greater openness to experience.
● Some of the related changes that this form of therapy seeks to foster in
clients include:
i) Closer agreement between the client’s idealised and actual selves
ii) Better self-understanding
iii) Lower levels of defensiveness, guilt, and insecurity
iv) More positive and comfortable relationships with others and
v) An increased capacity to experience and express feelings at the
moment they occur.
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10. ● Person centered therapy focuses on the person, not on the person’s
presenting problem. Goal is to assist clients in their growth so they are
better able to cope with both today’s problems and future problems.
● The basic drive to fulfillment implies that people move toward health if
the way seems open for them to do so. Thus, the goals of counseling are
to set clients free and to create those conditions that will enable them
to engage in meaningful self-exploration.
● General goals of therapy are:
a) becoming more open to experience,
b) Achieving self-trust,
c) developing an internal source of evaluation,
d) being willing to continually grow
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11. Core Conditions
Client-centered therapy operates according to three basic
principles that reflect the attitude of
the therapist to the client:
1. The therapist is congruent with the client.
2. The therapist provides the client with unconditional
positive regard.
3. The therapist shows empathetic understanding to the
client.
Empathy
Unconditional
positive regard.
Congruence
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12. 1. CONGRUENCE or Genuineness
Congruence is the primary attribute of an effective therapist. The congruence
refers to the balance between their inner experience and outward expression. By
being congruent, these two states match and therefore the therapist is authentic:
There is no facade for the presented to the client. This allows the building of trust
in the relationship while also serving as a model for the client. The counsellor is
setting an example of being themselves, expressing their thoughts and feelings
honestly and without wearing masks.
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13. 2. UNCONDITIONAL POSITIVE REGARD (Acceptance)
For the client to grow and realise their potential, Rogers believed that
it was vital they were valued as individuals. This entailed acceptance
of the client by the therapist without judgement. It required that the
therapist genuinely cared about the client, even when they might
disapprove of an action of a client, and maintained a positive attitude
to the client.
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14. Empathy
● The ability of the therapist to understand the feelings and experiences of
the client with sensitivity. Rogers believed that we have a tendency to
resist change, but through working to understand life through another
person’s perspective, we invite change in ourselves.
● Rogers listed the benefits of applying empathy as observed through the
research of Fiedler:
1. The therapist can understand the patient’s feelings well.
2. The therapist is never in any doubt about what the patient means.
3. The therapist’s remarks fit in just right with the patient’s mood and
content.
4. The therapist’s tone of voice conveys the complete ability to share the
patient’s feelings.
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15. The Necessary and Sufficient Conditions
1. Condition 1: Psychological Contact
Rogers’ first condition is hypothetical. Client change outside of the context
of a relationship may be possible, since Rogers’ research presumed the
presence of a client-therapist relationship.
2. Condition 2: Client Incongruence
The second condition identifies incongruence as the state of being that
compels the client to seek therapeutic intervention.
3. Condition 3: Counselor Congruence
The third condition establishes that the therapist must strive to be
congruent in the therapy relationship. 15
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4. Condition 4: Unconditional Positive Regard
The fourth condition emphasizes that the therapist must endeavor to have
unconditional positive regard (UPR) for the client.
5. Condition 5: Empathy
In the fifth condition, the therapist attempts to understand the client’s world
from the client’s internal frame of reference, and communicates this experience
to the client.
6. Condition 6: Communication of Conditions Achieved/Perceived
Rogers postulated that it is enough that the therapist demonstrates empathy
toward the client’s internal frame of reference and the client perceives the
empathic understanding. 16
19. Relationship between Therapist and Client
• A person-centered therapist is a facilitator.
• It is not technique-oriented.
• A misunderstanding—this approach is simply to restate what the client
just said or the technique of reflection of feelings (It is incorrect).
• The therapeutic relationship is the primary agent of growth in the
client.
• Therapist’s presence: being completely engaged in the relationship with
clients.
• The best source of knowledge about the client is the individual client.
• Caring confrontations can be beneficial. 19
20. Contribution of Person Centered Therapy
● Active role of responsibility of client.
● Inner and subjective experience.
● Relationship-centered.
● Focus on therapist’s attitudes.
● Focus on empathy, being present, and
respecting the client's’ values.
● Value multicultural context.
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