Person Centered

The Person Centered (Rogerian) view was that the individuals are fundamentally good and trustworthy, and acceptance of their feelings would be sufficient to bring about therapeutic change. (He later accepted that there is a self-actualising force that we have within us.)

Rogers saw the “trouble” as being caused by too great a gap between the clients self image and the client’s themselves, and the aim of therapy was to reduce this gap removing the burden of the client trying to be who they were not.

This type of therapy is totally non-directive and the counsellor makes it plain to the client that they will not give advice, but believes that the clients have the capacity to help themselves, given the right encouragement.

The person centered approach is not seen as a technique or tool of counselling, but as Rogers states, it is simply a way of being with the client, it is their attitude and personality that is crucial to the process .The counsellor will be actively listening and assisting the client with reflecting and clarification .The role of the counsellors also involves challenging the clients false concepts of themselves

It is essential to the movement of therapy that the counsellor must display the core conditions of: -

1)         Unconditional Positive Regard

2)         A non- Judgmental attitude

3)         Show Empathy

The process of this type of counselling is one of active listening, the use of reflection and clarification. Unlike the psychodynamic approach probing is not seen as useful

The counsellor-client relationship within this type of therapy is one were the core conditions are adhered to and the counsellor challenges false concepts held by the client, and by valuing the parts of the client that do not fit false concept.  

This type of therapy is can be beneficial when dealing with individuals who are experiencing problems with general dissatisfaction with life or coming to terms with past events or painful memories in an individual’s life

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