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Elements of person-centered therapy
Elements of person-centered therapy
Elements of person-centered therapy
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Theory Carl Rogers developed person centered therapy, also known as client centered, non-directive or Rogerian therapy, in the 1930s. The person centered therapy, differs than other typical formal therapy, against directive and psychanalytic approach. Rogers believed that the therapy should take place where there is a close personal relationship between the client and the therapist. Rogers rejected the traditional hierarchical relationship between the client and therapist, and view the clients as equals by using the term “client” instead of “patient”. In person-centered therapy, the client determines the general direction of the therapy while the therapist ask informal clarifying question to promote client’s self-insight and self-understanding. …show more content…
Three interrelated attitude of the therapist are central to the success of person-centered therapy, this include: congruence; unconditional positive regard; and empathy (Corey, 2010). Congruence represents the openness and geniuses of the therapists. Therapists who function this way does not hind behind a professional façade, and are willing to share significant emotional reactions with their clients. Unconditional positive regards refers to the therapist accepting the client totally as she or he is without disapproving particular behaviors, believes, feelings or characteristics. Therapists convey this message by their wiliness to listen without being judging, or directive. The therapist who creates a nonthreatening context allows the clients to explore and share their true feelings without fear of being judged. Empathy is the third necessary component of a therapist’s attitude. The therapist should try to see through client’s point to view, and show understanding and sensitivity to client’s feeling throughout the therapy session. When these three attitudes are conveyed by a therapist, according the Rogers, the client can freely express themselves without afraid of being
Next, I am going to discuss the person-centred interventions I exercised through the therapeutic process with my client in session four. Within this I am going to explore how these interventions impacted my client’s responses and how I could improve my skills in future sessions.
...move toward developing a sensitivity to the problems of living and will develop an empathic quality towards others. Indeed, all these are the attitudinal values which are foremost, for genuineness, trust and positivity to happened in therapeutic relationship, for any therapeutic changes to happen. In this case of Meng, the therapist values Meng as a person who is unique and free agent and helps Meng to be appreciative of himself and be more congruent with his self-concepts. Inspite of the current climate of emphasis on short-term, directive, and problem-solving therapy, person-centered therapy with its humanistic nature has be absorbed and applied as backdrop and pillars of many modern counseling techniques. More importantly, to conclude, it is believed that the attitudinal values of person-centered therapists will prevail, in the long run in the field of counseling.
These seven powerful principles give the therapist the ability to connect with the client and empathetically personalize treatment per their clinical experiences to the client’s needs. By applying these seven powerful principles the therapist; values each client as one of a kind, purposefully listens to recognize the client’s feelings, displays controlled and objective emotional immersion, shows genuine acceptance, displays a non-judgmental front, projects autonomy, and values privacy. These principles are the building blocks to successfully creating a powerful yet empathetic therapeutic alliance (Kilpatrick, et al., 2009).
Another aspect of my personal theory comes from Carl Rogers and his Person Centered theory. My greatest take away from Rogers is his theory of unconditional positive regard. I am in agreement that an individual in counseling must feel as if they are being accepted and not judged by their therapist. Often individuals who seek counseling are fearful to begin with so as a therapist it is important to make this client feel at ease and understand that they are in a safe environment where they will not be judged. Once you can establish this with a client I believe that the relationship with that client will be more successful and the ...
I thought of “unconditional positive regard” as something that needed to happen. Roger calls is “being fortunate” if this happens in his relationship with patients which I was a bit surprised. The way I understand it, unconditional positive regard is an attitude the therapist adopts in order to create a condition of caring, empathy and warmth in the interaction with the client. It is not purely being accepting of the client but it goes beyond to include the therapist feelings and willingness to let go and truly connect, care for the client. I can see how our ability to be emphatic will help in this process. Carl Rogers describes empathy as “putting yourself in the shoes of the client”, thus gaining an understanding of their struggle
As the field of counseling continues to progress numerous theoretical orientations have been developed. One theoretical approach to counseling has been coined as person centered counseling or client centered therapy. This type of approach is commonly referred to as Rogerian psychotherapy. Rogerian therapy focuses on the empowerment of individuals with the inner self. These constructs are vital to ensuring and promoting a transparent and honest atmosphere which subsequently results in effective counseling. The behaviors that are found in client centered counseling are valuable as they motivate the client to explore their "hidden feelings" and become aware of where their feelings derive from. Being afforded the rare opportunity to see Rogers
In the second part of the book Rogers speaks of his ideas of his theory of the person-centered approach to therapy. This is the part of the book that I felt really spoke to me. Person-centered theory is a lot of what I would like to do. I enjoy the ideas and concepts that Rogers presents in his theory. I think that it is extremely important to be able to take into consideration not only the diagnosis of the patient/client with whom you are working, but that it is more important to be able to take the time to sit back and to listen to them. I have realized in the year that I have been working in the psychiatric hospital how important it is for the patient/client to just sit back and listen to what it is they're saying to you. This however does not mean I am only hearing their words, but that I am listening at a much deeper level and actually he...
To explain, the client should not be inferior to the counselor; the environment should be two people discussing an issue and ways to make a difference. A therapist should occasionally share similar experiences; therefore, sessions should make clients feel comfortable. To add, the client should feel safe due to the positive atmosphere the therapist brings to the session. The goal is to finally give the client a chance to be heard, regularly people are muted and feel like they are insignificant to society. Similarly, to Person-centered therapy where communication with the client is unconditionally positive. The therapist needs to genuinely care about the client needs for them to fully express themselves successfully. Furthermore, clients should be encouraging to make their own choices which model how to identify and use power responsibly. Hence, this will help the client feel more confident in everyday life when making a meaningful
I want to explore Client/Person Centered Therapy. This is a type of therapy that was pioneered by Carl Rogers. This therapy is different because as the name suggests it solely focuses on the client. 'In focusing on the client, the client’s feelings are deeply explored. The assumption is however, that the client was never able to have their feelings heard by the people surrounding them. Person Centered Therapy would allow the client to then be able to express their feelings openly. According to Strupp (1971), “psychotherapeutic relationship is in principle indistinguishable from any good human relationship in which a person feels fully accepted, respected, and prized” (p. 39). Thus, there must be a therapeutic alliance between therapist and client. This therapeutic alliance should creative an environment for the client in which the client feels the therapist is judgment-free. I find that Roger's theory to be interesting and seemingly affective. It makes sense that a change in a clients negative relationship patterns would allow freedom for the client to express themselves emotionally.
Carl Roger, a humanistic psychologist identified that accurate empathy is one of three characteristics of effective therapist. Yalom, provided a short story of a women who had breast cancer and had a grudge against her father until she looked at the situation from her father’s perspective. Unfortunately, when she finally did look at the situation from her father perspective it was too late for her to apologize to him because he passed away. Yalom uses this sort to remind him that clinicians should try and see things from their patient’s point of view.
Roger’s specialized in a humanistic approach to client-centered therapy. He believed that he was more of a ‘spirit guide’ in the therapeutic process than a director. Unlike Freud, he did not put much stock into what goes on in an individual’s unconscious, but rather believed that we are ruled by our mind’s perception of ourselves and what is going on around us. He was convinced that we are governed by our feelings and emotions in the present.
Carl R. Rogers theorized that through providing a certain kind of relationship with the client, one in which empathy, unconditional positive regard and congruence were present, the client would “discover within himself the capacity to the relationship for growth, and change and personal development” . As a counselor empathy is essential as it allows me to enter my clients internal frame of reference, while still retaining a problem-solving stance. Entering the client’s internal frame of reference means I must consider the emotions and thoughts of the client, it is similarly vital not to get lost in the internal frame of reference as this creates the distinction between sympathy and empathy. Unconditional positive regard, also called acceptance is essential as it plays a role in creating a helping relationship in which the client feels safe to express any negative emotions or thoughts, while being...
My most valuable work with patients is to listen and learn from each one, and let them determine their goals. The person in person-centered in care is more of an expert in what’s best for them than I am. As shocking as this fact was to me, it’s been liberating to let go of having to know everything about a patient that I just met. As a result of my experience with my therapy patients, person-centered care has now become the foundation of my practice.
Carl Rogers the father on the Humanistic theory core believe in a client –centered therapy is for the therapist or social worker is to be congruent with the client that is being genuineness. The clinical social work should have unconditional positive regard, which is caring for the client and non-judgmental and empathy, which is the ability to put ones in the client’s position. The ability to understand what the client is feeling is very critical in experiencing the client with a fresh mind. As human as we are, sometimes we have element of non-conscious, implicit biases or prejudices against certain clients. When meeting up with a client for the first time, it is important for the clinical social worker not to have any preconceived notion
Reflecting on the Person-Centered Therapy, it is similar to the Existential Therapy because it focuses on the client/therapist relationship, where the therapist needs to be totally genuine, empathetic and non-judgmental toward their clients in order to gain the client’s trust. I like the fact that the Person-Centered Therapy views the client as their best authority on their own experience, and being fully capable of fulfilling their own potential for growth. I also like the fact that the therapist is non-directive, does not give advice and there is no specific technique involved. Person Centered Therapy can basically develop their own technique as their relationship develop with the client.