Client-Centered Therapy Developed by Carl Rogers Also termed Client-Centered Therapy, Humanistic Therapy or Phenomenological Therapy A congruent therapist who provides unconditional positive regard and empathy can stimulate change in a vulnerable person to become a creative, responsible, developing individual By providing a therapeutic atmosphere which is real, caring, and nonjudgmental the person can develop to their full potential

Rogers’ Theory of Personality - Highlights Behavior is best understood through the individual’s reality (perception of experiences) Personal growth occurs through decreased defensiveness Self actualization is the organism’s one, basic tendency Experiences inconsistent with self concept are threats leading to increased rigidity Therapy allows the individual to accept and integrate all of their experiences

Client-Centered Therapy is Radically Different than Other Models Medical model of therapy views person as “patients” with problematic “parts” Other forms of treatment are directed by “experts” Client-centered approaches focus on the client’s inborn capacity for “self healing” Difference for the therapist is between “using” the self and “being” oneself

Person-Centered Therapy (A reaction against the directive and psychoanalytic approaches) Challenges: The assumption that “the counselor knows best” The validity of advice, suggestion, persuasion, teaching, diagnosis, and interpretation The belief that clients cannot understand and resolve their own problems without direct help The focus on problems over persons

Theory of Psychopathology More conditional the parents’ love, the more likely pathology Incongruence between what is experienced and what is person's self-concept Psychopathology reflects a divided personality due to lack of wholeness Defensive reactions prevent threatening experiences from coming into awareness Defenses cause inaccurate perceptions due to distortions and selective omission of information

Bottom Line Congruence = psychological adjustment Incongruence = psychological maladjustment

Person-Centered Therapy Emphasizes: Therapy as a journey shared by two fallible people The person’s innate striving for self-actualization The personal characteristics of the therapist and the quality of the therapeutic relationship The counselor’s creation of a permissive, “growth-promoting” climate People are capable of self-directed growth if involved in a therapeutic relationship

Distinctive Components of Client-Centered Therapy Therapist’s attitudes can be necessary and sufficient conditions for change Therapist needs to be immediately present and accessible to clients Intensive, continuous focus on client’s phenomenological world Process marked by client’s ability to live fully in the moment Focus on personality change, not structure of personality

Distinctive Components of Client-Centered Therapy (continued) Need for continuing research on psychotherapy Same principles of psychotherapy apply to all people regardless of problem Psychotherapy is a specialized example of a constructive interpersonal relationships Theoretical formulations built on experience Concern with the philosophical issues derived from psychotherapy

Client-Centered Therapy vs. Psychoanalysis Rogers Psychoanalysis View of Human Nature People can be good or bad People are bad Role of Therapist Facilitate patient’s self discovery Interpretation for the patient View of Transference Not central to the patient’s ability to change Inevitable, fundamental to the change process Presentation of the Therapist A caring person who is willing to listen Authority, teacher

Behavior changes through internal factors behavior changes Client-Centered Therapy vs. Behavioral Therapy Client-Centered Behavior changes through internal factors Behavioral behavior changes through external factors

Therapeutic Processes Goal: increase congruence between self and experience Combination of consciousness raising and corrective emotional experience Therapists control the process of therapy but not the content Use facilitative conditions (genuineness, positive regard, empathy)

Therapeutic Relationship Genuineness/congruence Positive regard Accurate empathy

Therapy is a Growth-Promoting Climate Congruence Genuineness or realness in the therapy session Therapist’s behaviors match his or her words Unconditional positive regard Acceptance and genuine caring about the client as a valuable person Accepting clients as they presently are Therapist need not approve of all client behavior Accurate empathic understanding The ability to deeply grasp the client’s subjective world Helper attitudes are more important than knowledge The therapist need not experience the situation to develop an understanding of it from the client’s perspective

Rogers’ Core Conditions for the Therapeutic Environment (Therapist)

Rogers’ Core Conditions for the Therapeutic Environment (Client) - Low at beginning T R U S Rigid What others think

The Therapist Focuses on the quality of the therapeutic relationship Provides a supportive therapeutic environment in which the client is the agent of change and healing Serves as a model of a human being struggling toward greater realness Is genuine, integrated, and authentic, without a false front Can openly express feelings and attitudes that are present in the relationship with the client Is invested in developing his or her own life experiences to deepen self- knowledge and move toward self-actualization

Practicalities of Person-Centered Therapy Psych testing rarely conducted Efforts to enhance trainee’s empathy confused with mindless parroting or sterile technique Modest effects of such training on empathy

Effectiveness of Person-Centered Therapies Research on empathy, genuineness, and positive regard show They are valuable contributors to outcome But are neither necessary nor sufficient Meta-analyses found PCT was clearly superior to no treatment But barely better than placebo When compared to CBT, person-centered was slightly less effective

Limitations of the Person-Centered Approach Cultural considerations Some clients may prefer a more directive, structured treatment Individuals accustomed to indirect communication may not be comfortable with direct expression of empathy or creativity Individuals from collectivistic cultures may disagree with the emphasis on internal locus of control Does not focus on the use of specific techniques, making this treatment difficult to standardize Beginning therapists may find it difficult to provide both support and challenges to clients Limits of the therapist as a person may interfere with developing a genuine therapeutic relationship

Future Directions of PCT Methods assimilated by mainstream therapies Slowly declining in popularity in USA Empathy making a comeback Needs to maintain openness to integration with other psychotherapy systems active and eclectic methods in era of short-term treatments Motivational Interviewing is on the rise

Sample Question Which of the following is not a characteristic of the person-centered approach? The focus is on the subjective world of the client It is supported by evidence from ongoing research Importance is placed on the attitudes and beliefs of the therapist Emphasis is given to a contract for therapy Attention is directed toward the professional relationship between the client and the therapist