Person-Centred Approaches to Counselling Unit

To me, as a trainee psychotherapist, the best way to thoroughly understand the person-centred approach is to connect the theory behind it to personal experiences. When I’m thinking about why I decided to study to become a Person-Centred therapist, and not a CBT or Psychoanalytic therapist, the first thing that comes to mind is my belief in self-healing. I strongly support Rogers’ idea that all individuals should be in charge of their own lives (Cooper et al., 2007). It is commonly assumed by government officials and the general public that treating clients by teaching them how to deal with their current issues has better outcomes than using client-centred therapies (Stiles et al., 2007). However, is directing the client in the “right direction” really what therapy is all about? How would a counsellor then know weather the path that they sent the client on is indeed the right one for them to achieve psychological wellness in a long term? In my experience of receiving counselling in the past I tended to be quite reserved towards the methods used by psychotherapists using a person-centred approach. I used to believe that I am not responsible for my own happiness and someone else had to tell me how to be happy. One of the main conflicts that I had and still have sometimes with person-centred therapy is that I loose faith that I am able to find my own way of healing myself. I remember years ago when I suffered with depression, no matter how hard I worked to return my internal

For my home orientation I chose Person centered therapy. I believe that this therapeutic approach will best fit me and my client. Person centered therapy was created by Carl Rogers in the 1940s. Carl Rogers did not believe that therapy should be a cold and rigorous process. So he made some changes and did a lot of research and opened a center for person centered therapist to come and learn in workshops and do research. In this paper I will explain person centered therapy, I will counsel Ruth and have a Transcript, and talk about how person centered therapy is a great fit for me.

The critical components in person-centered therapy are imperative for the counseling session is self-regard and relationships. It showcases that both the counselor and client have a role to improve the relationship overall. When the counselor is congruent or actively listening to the client than the relationship enhances over the course

Counselors in this field have to be open-minded and especially nonjudgmental when working with the specific population of the field. Person-centered therapy approach is useful as the role of the therapist in this situation. Clients in this population have already been judged by a jury and it is important for the counselor to remain unbiased when providing services for these clients. The following paragraphs will explain various applications and techniques that will be used for this integrative approach.

Furthermore, the Rogerian approach is versatile. Cain supports this by stating that extensive research shows person-centered therapy 's relevance to a vast range of clients and problems of all age groups (as cited in Corey, 2009). It has also left an impact on counselling as its core conditions have become universal to other therapies. The cognitive behavioural approach, for example, recognises the necessity of a therapeutic relationship that is built upon trust and acceptance for its success. This versatility also stretches beyond counseliing. The concepts of the approach are commonly accepted and widely adopted in other settings such as education, human relations and healthcare and are also applicable to one 's personal life (Corey, 2009).

Person-centered therapy (PCT), which is also known as client-centered, non-directive, or Rogerian therapy, is an approach to counseling and psychotherapy that places much of the responsibility for the treatment process on the client, with the therapist taking a non directive role. Two primary goals of PCT 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 closer agreement between the client’s idealized and actual selves; better self-understanding; lower levels of defensiveness, guilt and insecurity; more positive and comfortable relationships with others; and an increased capacity to experience and express feelings at the moment they occur.

‘’Evaluate the claim that Person-centered therapy offers the therapist all that he/she will need to treat clients’’

The chapters suggest that we as counselors have to be able to understand our self-first, that we have to be OK if we would like to help others in need. Then it came to a perspective that many counselors sometime forget that it is the client’s needs which need to be fulfill, not them. This situation leads to dictatorial situation where the counselor show too much power and influence over the clients problems and decision and forgot to be open and actually listen to the clients

I learnt that the person-centred approach can develop an effective client-counsellor relationship and I feel is more in tune with modern society.

In terms of person-centred counselling, the way SFBT highlights these factors is directly facilitating the self- actualization of the client. Furthermore, both theories take an eclectic approach to the client’s situation. For example, the importance of the whole person in person-centred counselling is associated with the interest in the whole context of a person’s life in SFBT (Iveson, 2002). Hales (1999) describes how person-centred therapy believes that the client is in control of the counselling process and makes judgements about their decisions and experiences; this is seen much more overtly in SFBT as the clients are asked directly their goals for therapy and how they would know that therapy had been worthwhile. Both approaches provide client-orientated counselling which aims to promote self esteem and coping strategies for the client (Hales, 1999).

The relationship established by the client and counselor is a crucial aspect of the theory. It is essential that the client feels safe and comfortable in his or her environment. As trust is built between counselor and client, the client will slowly discover self actualization. Carl Rogers was incredibly fascinated by many of Abraham Maslow’s ideas, particularly the aspects of being a fully functioning person. Carl Rogers also felt that we cannot fully strive toward “self actualization” if our needs are not met through Maslow 's Hierarchy of needs. If our needs are not met, our attention is riveted on meeting these basic needs (Gerald 2012, pg 177). Person centered theory works as a non directive approach which ultimately allows the client complete capacity of finding and discovering their own answers. Through this process the counselor helps the client create change in their life, by developing a considerable understanding of their feelings and behavior. This process should lead the client striving to live a more meaningful life.

According to Holder (2013), person-centred counselling and psychotherapy approach places much of the responsibility for treatment in the hands of the patient as opposed to the therapist. Developed in the 1950s by an American Psychologist namely Carl Rogers, this approach aims at increasing self-esteem and enhance openness to the treatment experience. The rationale behind this approach is that therapy can better take place in a supportive environment. This type of environment results from forming close personal ties between the client and the therapist. The approach relies on self-actualization, where it encourages the client to move forward and reach their fullest potential.

Carl Roger’s Person Centered Theory is also known as Client Centered Therapy in that it focuses on the humanistic approach to therapy. It deals with the way the client sees himself or herself rather than how the counselor sees them. With this approach to therapy, it is believed that humans have the instinctive tendency to develop and grow towards their full potential. Nevertheless, this type of therapy can sometimes be ineffective due to a persons life experiences. This is especially true for those life experiences that affect their sense of value and self-worth.

There are many strengths in the person centred approach as the counsellor will build a caring relationship with the client, this will enable the client to explore their emotions without fearing of being judged. The counsellor will use the core conditions within the therapy sessions as this will help the client to regain a sense of intimacy (Corey, 2001). The counsellor will address the clients stress, anxiety and fear to help the client to overcome their experiences. Person centred therapy will enable the clients to move forward in their life. Seligman stated the theory offers an up to date and optimistic perspective as well as that the therapy works effectively with variety of cultural. Further to this, Clients feel empowered as the therapy allows the client to make their own decisions (Corey, 2001).

Correspondingly, Combs (1988) proposed that because therapists using person centred approach do not know what’s best for their clients, they’re usually hesitant towards guiding or teaching them. He opines that person centred counsellors should take the responsibility of teaching clients how to achieve their goals and make hence, make significant changes. Furthermore, According to Nye (1981) the person centred approach is unreasonably general. I.e. it lacks clearly well-defined terms for its techniques. For Thomson & Rudolph (1983), person centred approach is modelled upon clients that are intelligent, literate, and highly perceptive of their