Person-Centered Therapy
Founder
✰ One of the most influential psychotherapists in American history
✰ Early childhood experiences of isolation, teasing, & illness
✰ Close relationship with his mother was important in his development
✰ Learned about a phenomenological perspective while in seminary
✰ Became interested in psychology & realized his goal was to help people grow & change
Carl Rogers
✰ Questioned the effectiveness of the prevailing directive or ‘therapist knows best’ approaches
✰ Previously called Non-Directive Therapy & Client-Centered Therapy
✰ Many of his basic tenants of what constitutes a good therapeutic relationship have been adopted as sound counseling
Key Concepts
Organismic Valuing Process
✰ People’s intuitive ability to know what they need to feel fulfilled & self-actualized
✰ If this internal sense is not listened to, one may experience incongruence
Fully Functioning Person
Individual’s who are using their abilities & talents & who are reaching their potential & moving toward a full awareness & understanding of themselves
✰ Children’s self-concepts are shaped by conditions of worth
✰ We spend a significant amount of time trying to compromise between these expectation for receiving love & what we truly want
✰ Known for its humanistic perspective & belief in inherent worth
✰ Humans are strong, capable, & basically good in nature
✰ People are positive, forward moving, constructive, realistic, & trustworthy
✰ Most prevalent & motivating drive is working towards self-actualization
✰ Organismic Valuing Process
✰ People’s intuitive ability to know what they need to feel fulfilled & self-actualized
✰ Openness to experience ✰ Trust & congruence in self
✰ Sense of meaning & purpose ✰ Internal locus of evaluation
✰ Being fully aware in the moment ✰ Living creatively
Conditional Positive Regard
VS
✰ When people only receive praise & attention when they act in accordance with specific expectations
✰ Can lead to MH issues, lack of authenticity, & low self-worth
Conditions of Worth
✰ People receive messages that they are special & valued for who they are
✰ More likely to be fully functioning & actualizing
Unconditional Positive Regard
Goals of Counseling
✰ Facilitate clients’ trust & ability to be in the present moment
✰ Support clients in having an honest exchange with themselves & therapists by fully expressing emotions & thoughts
✰ Development of congruence, authenticity, & genuineness
✰ Promoting self-awareness, optimism, empowerment, responsibility, & management of a person’s own life & concerns
✰ Reaching self-actualization & creating meaningful lives
Therapeutic Process
1. A relationship (psychological contact) exists
2. Client is in a state of incongruence & has been unsuccessful in previous attempts at change
3. Therapist is congruent in relationship
4. Therapist experiences unconditional positive regard for the client
5. Therapist expresses empathy & understanding
6. The therapist’s empathy, unconditional positive regard, & genuineness are perceived by the client
✰ These conditions create a safe & accepting space for clients to truly work
Non-Directive, Client-Centered, Self Theory
How can I establish a relationship that will facilitate the personal growth of my client?
Role of Counselor
✰ The therapeutic relationship is what creates positive change
✰ Two equal human beings coming together on a journey to enrich each other’s lives
✰ Present moment awareness & immediacy
✰ Empathy, congruence, & unconditional positive regard are the core conditions used within counseling
Therapeutic Techniques
✰ Non-Directive Approach: Allowing the client to steer the conversation
✰ Active Listening: Reflecting and clarifying the client’s thoughts and feelings
✰ Empathetic Communication: Reiterating the client’s emotions to demonstrate understanding
✰ Congruence/Genuineness: The therapist must be genuine, modeling authenticity
✰ Unconditional Positive Regard: Creating an accepting and non-judgmental atmosphere
Applications of Person -Centered Therapy
LIMITATIONS
Multicultural Groups
❊ Very responsive to diverse populations due to focus on therapeutic relationship & getting to know the client’s wants, needs, & life experiences
❊ Core conditions are very helpful for understanding cultural differences
❊ Phenomenological view, as well as respectful & accepting view of human nature
❊ Consider the cultural definition of the Self & self-concept
❊ Be aware of the importance & role of the collective/family as this may be at odds with the pursuit of self-actualization & the idea of autonomy
❊ Unconditional positive regard may seem insincere to some
❊ May need to adjust expectations around self-disclosure as some cultures may view this differently when interacting with a perceived authority figure