Person Centered Theraphy Essay

Firstly, one strength of the counselling relationship which makes it the most important factor is its effectiveness. The counselling relationship allows client and counsellor to agree on tasks and goals (Colin Feltham 2010). Through the relationship the client can become aware of their problems and work with the counsellor to find solutions. The relationship works well in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) as it combines interpersonal and technical factors to result in a favourable outcome (Glovozolias 2004). CBT is action orientated therapy used to change faulty thinking patterns to help clients overcome mental disorders such as depression. (Whisman 1993) Discussed five studies that looked at the relationship and CBT in cases of depression; three studies found the therapeutic relationship significant for positive outcome. Unfortunately, in CBT value is placed on technique and therefore there is not much research on the effect of the counselling relationship in this therapy. Although, the relationship is vital in person centred therapy, as it emphasises the importance of the therapeutic relationship between counsellor and client. In person centred therapy the counsellor must find ways of using the relationship to highlight issues in the clients functioning. Person centred therapy was introduced by Carl Rodgers and is one of the most widely used therapies as it focuses on the client's thoughts, feelings, behaviours and needs.

In the very early years of the person-centred approach, the direction and goals of the therapy were very much determined by the client, with the therapist’s role being to assist the client in clarifying their feelings. This approach of non-directive therapy was associated with a greater self-exploration, increased understanding, and improved self-concept. Further development of person centred therapy has seen a shift in concentration toward the core conditions assumed to be both necessary and sufficient for successful therapy (Cox, Bachkirova & Clutterbuck, 2010)

Allowing for our ethical codes of conduct, if the client is someone we feel we can proceed with, then as always, the first stage would be to develop a good rapport and gain the clients trust to develop an honest and open relationship with them. The client centred approach as always is the best method for this – to put the client at ease in a non-judgemental space where they can express their emotions and explore what it is they want to achieve with therapy. In giving the therapist an

Counselling psychology has been referred to as a “paradigm” due to its many therapeutic models and has been argued by the philosopher Thomas Kuhn (1962) that it is a “scientific community which is comprised of theories and concepts, experiences” (Woolfe, Dryden & Strawbridge, 2003). The humanistic paradigm is one that has been dominated by Carl Rogers and Fritz Perls, whereby the entire focus is on the client, also known as person centred or client centred therapy. On the other hand there is the existence of a more solution focused, problem solving paradigm which has been advocated by Albert Ellis’ Rational Emotive Therapy, Aaron Becks’ Cognitive Therapy and more recently Donald Meichenbaum’s Cognitive Behaviour Modification. Certain aspects

Client-centered therapy: An approach to counseling where the client determines the general direction of therapy, while the therapist seeks to increase the client's insightful self-understanding through informal simplified questions. The client is the focal point of the sessions, the therapist takes a "back seat" to learn about the person, and watch as the client moves toward the achievement of their full potential through creativity.

The theoretical orientation that best suites my personal style is a combination of both client-centered and brief therapy. In the first part of the paper, I try and describe the importance of developing a good client/therapist relationship using a client-centered approach. I like this approach the best because it helps the client to be more open and truthful with the therapist. There are several techniques that I find important in developing this bond such as: genuineness, unconditional positive regard, accurate empathy, and active listening. After building a relationship with the client, a therapist is now faced with identifying and solving a problem behavior. With this in mind, I found that the brief therapy method best fits my style.

Carl R. Rogers is known as the founding father of person-centered therapy. He was born in Oak Park, Illinois, in 1902 to a devoted Christian and a civil engineer (Rogers, Kirschenbaum, & Land, 2001). In 1922 Rogers began to doubt his religious teaching from early on in life, he sought a more liberal education at the Union Theological Seminary (Rogers, Kirschenbaum, & Land, 2001). After two years he left to attend Columbia University to study clinical and education psychology. Rogers went on to write four major books: The Clinical Treatment of the Problem Child (1939), Counseling and Psychotherapy: New Concepts in Practice (1942), Client-Centered Therapy (1951), and Psychotherapy and Personality (Rogers & Dymond, 1954) (Walsh, 2010; Patterson, 2007).

If a therapist is not in control, the treatment would not be effective. Additionally, critics argue that despite the change in behavior, this type of therapy does not change how an individual feels with regards to a particular aspect. The therapist does not consider the underlying emotional needs of a patient thereby failing to provide effective treatment. Furthermore, the relationship between a therapist and a client is

In the 1940s Carl Rogers was well on his way to revolutionizing the state of traditional, directive psychotherapy and pioneering what would soon become the person-centered approach. Although Rogers strayed from the psychological mainstream’s view that therapists drive their clients recovery through such mediums as advice, direction, teaching and interpretation he still believed that the therapist’s role was crucial, and it was their attributes that paved the way to increased awareness and self-directed change.

On one hand, you have Reality therapists who are very directive, assertive and teaches choices and behaviors that are congruent to the client’s end goals in meeting their five basic needs. In Reality theory the client is very much responsible for their actions, choices, thoughts and behaviors while being guided by the counseling process to meet a goal or need. Although client centered therapy places much responsibility on the client as well, it is more in the form of a trusting bond or belief that the client knows what they need best and can come to this conclusion when the therapist creates a loving encouraging relationship and environment for the process to flourish. The counselor must view the world around them as though they were using

Person-centred counselling deals therapy in which client is the ultimate focus of attention of his or her own therapy. Person-centred therapy aims at creating a relationship with their clients through which the clients are able develop their self-awareness. Person- Centred counsellors deal with the present, i.e. the here and now. In person centred approach, the therapeutic relationship is of immense importance and is based on mutuality and equality.

Person-Centered therapy applied in a therapeutic relationship by the therapist being empathetic and allowing the clients to move in their own time on finding their own self-actualization. This allows the client to gain and learn their own independence and integration in the world that they live in. The therapist not leading the client into any direction but being empathic to what they are going through to help the client’s growth process does this. It is not about the therapist having the client do anything or the therapists do anything but to be open and have a good attitude towards the client (Corey, 2013).

Person Centered Therapy (PCT)-it is also known us client-centered approach is a way or an approach of understanding the individuals’ perception. This is where a therapist has to understand the consciousness of the client in relation with their ability. It states that everybody has got the ability to do great things but as time goes by, we lose that belief because of being affected psychologically. This theory was discovered by one American Carl Rodgers (1902-1987). The counselor in this scenario has to understand the client 's experience so as to know the background of the problem. On the other hand, Gestalt therapy is the where a client is suffering from the present events and how they affect him or her environment. This approach was discovered by Frederick Perls in the 1950s. The two approaches work in different ways because they are dealing with different problems and so we want to see how they work.

The person-centered theory is also referred to as the client-centered theory. It is presently a popular theory for therapy and counseling. Rogers believed in clients helping themselves so that they could empower themselves with a self-actualizing motive to improve their lives. He did not believe in the concept of treating people as patients that had mental issues and needed to be diagnosed. His ideas continue to be relevant in modern psychology (Cervone & Pervin, 2010).

Rogers, C. (1959). ‘A theory of therapy, personality, and interpersonal relationships, as developed in the client-centered framework’, Psychology: A Study of a Science. vol. 3, pp. 184-256