This essay will explore two therapeutic models, Person-Centred and Existential, with the aim of understanding the similarities and differences in terms of their fundamental principles, approach and techniques as well as the situations in which they may be best applied.
Person-centred therapy was developed by Carl Rogers as a new approach to therapy which put the emphasis on the quality of the relationship between the therapist and client and redefined the roles they would both play in the therapeutic process. Instead of the therapist being an expert who interprets, directs and gives answers to the client, the therapist focuses on establishing a genuine, non-judgemental and non-directive relationship where the client feels safe to be truly himself and chooses the direction and focus of therapy. The client is viewed as the expert in their life, exploring their challenges and finding their own solutions whilst the therapist is the expert in listening, reflecting and encouraging the client in their explorations without judgement. This approach encourages the individual to explore how they perceive and experience the world and how they react to it. This in turn develops the client’s self-awareness and capacity to be more conscious about their life, and learn how to find their own solutions to issues and challenges along the way.
As the name suggests, existential therapy is derived from existential philosophy developed in the late 19th Century and focusing on fundamental questions
Carl Rogers (1902-87) was the founder of the client-centred or person-centred approach to counselling and therapy. (McLeod 2001)
Person-centered therapy views people from a positive perspective. While therapists may not always agree with the choices that a person makes, they always try to accept a person for who they are. The belief is that people can change and become self-actualized. Person-centered therapy focuses on the belief that people’s personalities are influenced by internal and external factors. These experiences will be different for everyone, because we are all exposed to different social and
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
One of key concepts of person centred therapy is the belief that the client has the ability to become aware of their own problems and has the inherent means to resolve them. In this sense,
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)
The person –centred approach was born from the work of Carl Rogers as a method of counselling and psychotherapy .According to Rogers (1980) “individuals have within themselves vast resources for self –understanding and for altering their self –concepts, basic attitudes and self-directed behaviour; these resources can be tapped into if a definable climate of facilitative psychological attitudes can be provided.” This approach places emphasis on putting the client at the centre of health care practice and giving them choice and control over the care plan and service provided for them. The person-centred approach is about engagement between the service provider and the service user whereby the health care worker treats the client with empathy and
Different counseling theories, such as psychoanalytic, Adlerian, client-centered therapy, existential psychotherapy, gestalt therapy, and reality therapy can be applied to different clinical settings and populations by a counselor or therapist (Rayner & Vitali, 2015). The purpose of this paper is to apply a counseling theory, existential therapy, to the provided case study of Paul, a 34-year-old male with work inhibition, but yearns for more in his life. Essentially, counseling theories can be used a foundation for counselor’s or therapist’s work with clients. It is one of the most unique forms of counseling theories that aims at exploring the psychological and emotional challenges faced by a client from a philosophical perspective, particularly
Existentialism developed from a number of schools of psychology and psychiatry, as an attempt to assist clients’ attempts to resolve difficulties
Often social workers are faced with having to choose from a wide variety of practice approaches, models, and methods when working with clients. Understanding which approach is appropriate to use with your client is imperative. “Paying equal attention to people and their environments is a critical aspect when choosing the appropriate approach, as each client and situation is unique” (Gitterman & Heller, 2011). For this critical analysis of the therapeutic approach known as Person-Centered Therapy, I will be outlining the ‘core conditions’, which guide the counselors approach. The reason I chose to highlight this
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.
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.
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.
A key concept of existential therapy is the relationship between freedom and responsibility. In contrast
This Critique of Person Centred Counselling offers an insight into The Person Centred Approach developed by Carl Rogers. I will firstly introduce Rogers and his influences. An exploration of Person Centred Counselling
Person-centered therapy originated in the mid-1900s with Carl Rogers, who developed an alternative to Freudian psychoanalysis that adopted a more supportive approach. Rogers perceived the role of the therapist to be supportive and encouraging,