Psychodynamic Psychotherapy And Person Centered Psychology Essay

In counselling and psychotherapy, it is fundamental aspect for practitioners to use theory as a way of informing the way the work with a client.(McLeod). The goal of this essay is to explore the humanistic personality theory of Carl Rogers. The essay will begin by giving a summary

Freud’s view of human nature from a psychoanalytical stand point was he believed that the contents of an individual’s matters consciousness were determined by psychological, individual and biological motivations Freud, S. (2001).. His worldviews presented interpretations of who the individual was, where they came from, and what their destiny was. On the other hand, Rogers believed the psychoanalytical view humans as never free from primitive passions, childhood fixations, and only the product of powerful biological drives was not flexible enough. Rogers’s foundation of

When comparing and contrasting the differences in the three approaches, I will review the relationship between client and counsellor. I will attempt to discover how the relationship is formed and how it is maintained during the therapeutic process. Once this has been established, I will then look at how the changes occur in the therapeutic relationship and which techniques will be used. I will compare and contrast the approaches of Carl Rogers, Sigmund Freud and Albert Ellis. I will look at how their theories have impacted on the counselling processes in modern times and throughout history.

In this essay I will look at the claim that Person-Centred Therapy offers the therapist all that he/she will need to treat clients. Firstly, I will outline what Person-Centred therapy is and look at what its originator, Carl Rogers’, theories behind this approach are. I will then discuss some of the criticisms that have been made about Person-Centred Therapy, and weigh them up to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of this therapeutic approach. In the conclusion I will reflect on my learning, and on my own experiences and opinions.

Within psychology there are many different theories that counselors should get to know in order to figure out which theory fits their own personal style of counseling. Some counselors stick to one specific theory, but many take on an integrative approach and use multiple theories within their practice. The four psychological theories that I am focusing on in this paper are the contemporary psychodynamic, theory, cognitive behavioral therapy, person-centered therapy, and the family systems theory.

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.

“The Person-Centred Therapy approach has its limitations when it comes to treating a gambling addiction.” Discuss.

Human nature is what founders regard as hypothesis of their perspective approaches. The human nature view of the psychoanalytic theory by Freud states(as cited by Corey,2009a), ‘ our behavior is determined by irrational forces, unconscious motivations, and biological and instinctual drives as these evolve through key psychosexual stages in the first six years of life’ ( p. 61). While growing up, I was taught genes are what puts together a person therefore a person thinking pattern, stages of life, and motivations may not be developed entirely on the individual but a trait. However, everyone does not feel, think, and behave like the next person. Becoming knowledgeable of how a person develops not only mentally but physically, emotionally, and even spiritually can be the key to treat a client effectively with the psychoanalytic approach.

Freud developed the psychoanalytic theory of personality development, which argued that personality is formed through internal conflicts among three fundamental structures of the human mind: the id, ego, and superego. According to this model of the psyche, the id is the set of uncoordinated trends; the super-ego plays the critical and moralizing role; and the ego is the organized, realistic part that mediates between the desires of the id and the super-ego (Wikipedia, 2017).

Psychodynamic and person-centred approaches to counselling have many differences in the way they understand the person and explain psychological distress. Part one below reviews both approaches separately, followed by a comparison of the main similarities and differences. Part two explains why I feel psychodynamic therapy appeals to me most.

It is important that the therapist conduct sessions in a way where they are showing themselves in the session without pretense. This allows a growth-promoting climate with the psychoanalysis of the client’s behavior. An important factor for a successful person-centered therapy allows clients the freedom to develop and control their own lives, rather than being tied to their past (Goodwin, 2008). This method also denotes and consists of psychotherapy theory and humanistic therapy where the concentration is on the present rather than the past, and the humanistic analyst tends to underlines awareness instead of being unaware. Both theories share a common method while patients and clients converse their feelings vocally and the therapist provide analyses.

Gladding (2005) notes that person centered therapy is a form of counseling in which was founded by Carl Rogers in the early 1940’s. The purposes of this particular form of counseling is to emphasize the importance of empathy; caring, understanding and acceptance in which are all effective traits clients need to construct changes in their life. In person center therapy, Carl Rogers bases his therapy on the demonstration of empathy of a helper to a client in order to achieve successful change with a client. Even though empathy is an important trait needed to conduct therapy, there are a various effective traits in addition that could be utilized to encourage client progress.

The relationship between therapist and client is equal, meaning that the therapist can hold no dominant role (Corey, 2009). Rather than advising and interpreting, the therapist simply serves as a model for the patient. In order to be appropriate models, three characteristics are required of person-centered therapists (Corey, 2009). Firstly, they must have congruency in their own lives by being genuine and honest with themselves. Person-centered therapists must also accept their clients with “unconditional positive regard” (Corey, 2009). This vital concept assumes that therapists can accept their clients without any judgment, and deeply care for people beyond the obligations of their occupation. Lastly, therapists must have a true empathetic understanding of their clients. Person-centered therapists should be able to relate to their client’s feelings and experiences as if they were their own (Corey, 2009). Cumulatively these three qualities create an open relationship in which the client is free to express themselves and grow as an

In order for a counselor to successfully help a client, I believe that it is important for the counselor to first adopt and become very knowledgeable in one of the major theoretical approaches. Using myself as an example, even though I am not yet a counselor, I have already decided to take on the humanistic approach (or person-centered approach, as it is also called) of psychologist Carl Rogers. As a counselor, it is important for one to choose a theoretical approach that they feel most comfortable with; I have chosen this approach because I agree most with its characteristics and believe that it more or less fits my personality. The goal of Rogers’ person-centered approach is to provide clients with an opportunity to develop a sense of self where they can realize how their attitudes, feelings and behavior are being negatively affected (Cepeda &

Carl Rogers is widely known as the father of person-centered therapy and humanistic psychology. He quietly revolutionized counseling theory and practice with his basic assumptions that “people are essentially trustworthy, that they have a vast potential for understanding themselves and resolving their own problems without direct intervention on the therapist’s part, and that they are capable of self-directed growth if they are involved in a specific kind of therapeutic relationship”. Rogers was a courageous pioneer who “was about 50 years ahead of his time and has been waiting for us to catch up” (Elkins, 2009, p. 20). Rogers is also known as the “father of psychotherapy research”, as he was the first to study the counseling process in