Understanding counselling theory. Essay example

Over the time in this course I have been drawn to the Person – Centered Theory, I feel like that is what my personality is like, and I would love to continue to grow strong and practice theory that comes natural to me. This is the theory I scored highest on my Selective Theory Sorter- Revised Questionnaire. Person-Centered therapy will have great significance to my development as a professional counselor for the reason that I already think of myself as a very authentic, sympathetic and accepting person. I am an excellent listener, and I have learned to process my thoughts before I speak. I think that a consoling therapist/client relationship is indispensable to the counseling process. Another reason I like this psychotherapy/theory is because

Carl Rogers (1902-87) was the founder of the client-centred or person-centred approach to counselling and therapy. (McLeod 2001)

What is crucial for any person-centred counsellor to understand is that they must, therefore, work on themselves because if they can’t accept themselves with all their own flaws, their restlessness, their lack of contentment, they are not in a position to help someone else.

Mearns, Dave (1980) The Person-Centred Approach to Therapy (Paper presented at the Scottish Association for Counselling, 31st May, 1980. For private distribution) [Online] Available at:

I am on a life-long path as a Skilled Helper (Egan) with some training in Integrative Psychotherapy. I am currently striving to integrate Carl Rogers’ ideas and practices into my existing knowledge framework whilst attempting to see previously identified phenomena through new eyes. My aim is to use this knowledge to influence my practice as co-creator of therapeutic relationships. My principal aims in this essay are to define some of the basic ideas of Rogers, to then describe how this links and informs his notions of a joint therapeutic endeavour through his Core

The pressure to conform can be immense. As a result, because we have a deep need to feel valued, we tend to deny to our awareness those of our inner experiences that we believe will not be acceptable. Originally described as non-directive, this form of therapy moved away from the idea that the counsellor was the expert and towards a theory that trusted the actualising tendency of clients to find their own personal potential. The term ‘actualising tendency’ is one which Rogers uses to describe the human urge to grow, to develop, and to reach maximum potential. It is directional and present in all living things, but can sometimes be suppressed. The person-centred therapist aims to provide an environment in which the client does not feel under threat or judgement. This enables the client to experience and accept more of who they are as a person, and reconnect with their own values. The client is then able to let down their defences and gain a better perception of themselves. This environment is achieved when being in a therapeutic relationship with someone who demonstrates the three essential characteristics: empathy, congruence and respect. The nature of the relationship is crucial for the success of therapy. Although therapy in a person-centred manner does not have as much structure as some other methods, it is a highly effective way of encouraging personal growth. Person-centred therapy sees the individual as a whole, and one aspect central to development is the

impacts clients can have on therapists is the life lessons client’s teach them. More specifically,

● Carl Rogers’ Client Centered Therapy: Definition, Techniques and Goals. (2017, August 01). Retrieved November 04, 2017, from https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/client-centered-therapy/

and tried to cure or change a person but he decided to change this stance. “In my early professional years I was asking the question: how can I treat or cure or change a person? Now I would phrase the question on this way. How can I provide a relationship which this person may use for his own personal growth” Rogers 1961 p32. Through his personal experience he developed a very different view of what clients needed.

can occur, and where clients can move forward and become what they are capable of becoming,

The Humanistic and Existential Theory I selected Person-Centered theory. The Person-centered approach was established in the 1940s by Carl R. Rogers. Carl Rogers’ established this theory to prove that a client hold the key to their recovery (ADPCA, 2011). This approach is considered to change clients prospective and facilitate growth by developing a positive counseling/client relationship. Once the relationship is achieved, in the process analyze the reality of who they are as an Individual and receive acceptance. This contributes to the positive forces of the client and a client’s self-actualizing core (ADPCA, 2011). “Person-centered approaches reflect what the client feels, to overcome resistance

The strengths of the person centered approach is that it emphasis on the good and the positive self, self-direction and orientation toward growth. It also focuses on client uniqueness and conveys empathy, acceptance, genuineness. Within this approach I also see active listening, self-disclosure, summarization, and unconditional positive

It is apparent that Rogers main goal was to create an environment for the client in which he will eventually be able to independently understand and express his feelings. Truscott (2010) reported according to the “person-centered, humanistic worldview” that,

Person-Centered therapy is a nondirective counselling compared to other forms of therapy such as Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy. For this therapy to be useful to anyone, client need to be in touch with his/her internal experience for this therapy to be effective. This form is therapy primarily believe is that through a accepting relationship between the client and the therapist client will gain the ability to be able to attain a collective insight into the nature of their problem as a result use the self-understanding knowledge gained to take constructive action of their problem. Moreover, the therapy is based on assumptions that People are trustworthy by nature, capability to understand and resolve their own problems and that people are naturally resourceful to have an understanding of why their situation turned out the way it did and also that the client is the agent for self-change. Humanism approach which is an alternative to psychoanalytic and behavioral approaches that emphasize that trust and respect is crucial in other for a therapeutic relationship to be formed and everyone that a natural potential which is the concept person centered approached is based on. In other words, it respect the individuality, subjective experience and uniqueness of an individual and trust the ability of an individual to make a positive and constructive choice. Person-centered therapy purposed 3 key concepts: congruence, unconditional positive regard and accurate empathic understanding.

He is famous for his idea about ‘client-centred therapy’. He discovered that instead of treating a client as a patient, by displaying more empathy, positive regard and compassion, this would result in the client not feeling judged and therefore more likely to risk participation.