Peter F. Schmid THE PERSON IN THE PERSON-CENTRED APPROACH Being-with and being-counter in the therapeutic relationship Sheffield, 7-8 April 2006

The distinguishing characteristics of a person-centered approach The distinguishing characteristics of a person-centered approach 1. As persons client & therapist spring from a fundamental ‘We’ 2. The client is the expert 3. The therapist is present 4. Therapy is dialogue

 PERSONanthropology  ENCOUNTERepistemology  PRESENCEethics  DIALOGUEtherapy theory & practice

PERSON person-centred anthropology the pc image of the human being  The human being is both autonomous & interdependent  Client & therapist spring from a fundamental ‚We‘

The distinguishing characteristics of a person-centered approach The distinguishing characteristics of a person-centered approach 1. As persons client & therapist spring from a fundamental ‘We’ 2. The client is the expert 3. The therapist is present 4. Therapy is dialogue

 PERSONanthropology  ENCOUNTERepistemology

ENCOUNTER person-centred epistemology the pc way of understanding  To encounter means to be touched by the disclosure of the Other (constituting a Thou-I-relationship)  The client is the expert

The distinguishing characteristics of a person-centered approach 1. As persons client & therapist spring from a fundamental ‘We’ 2. The client is the expert 3. The therapist is present 4. Therapy is dialogue

 PERSONanthropology  ENCOUNTERepistemology  PRESENCEethics

PRESENCE person-centred ethics the pc way of being and acting  To be present means to kairologicaly co-create out of (mutual) encounter (fully living the core conditions)  The therapist is present (i.e. he/she is co-experiencing & co-responding with/to the client)

The distinguishing characteristics of a person-centered approach The distinguishing characteristics of a person-centered approach 1. As persons client & therapist spring from a fundamental ‘We’ 2. The client is the expert 3. The therapist is present 4. Therapy is dialogue

 PERSONanthropology  ENCOUNTERepistemology  PRESENCEethics  DIALOGUEtherapy theory & practice

DIALOGUE person-centred therapy theory the pc way of doing psychotherapy/counselling  Dialogue means being-with and being- counter  Person-centred therapy is dialogic therapy

The distinguishing characteristics of a person-centered approach The distinguishing characteristics of a person-centered approach 1. As persons client & therapist spring from a fundamental ‘We’ 2. The client is the expert 3. The therapist is present 4. Therapy is dialogue

The crucial & unique point of PCT is The crucial & unique point of PCT is the image of the human being – seeing the human as a person i.e. taking the ‘expert’s’ actualizing tendency serious (and not push or ‘make’ or guide or know) & the understanding of relationship – encounter person to person i.e. proceeding from the unavoidable We and responding to the client’s call

The crucial & unique point of PCT is The crucial & unique point of PCT is   in anthropological language: person instead of patient/client (i.e. resources instead of problems)   in dialogical language: Thou-I out of We instead of I-Thou   in phenomenological language: being open to what is revealed instead of observing   in epistemological language: offering acknowledgment instead of gaining knowledge  resources instead of problems, the ability to growth instead of disorder  in the language of a theory of ‘disorders’: resources instead of problems, the ability to growth instead of disorder   in the language of theory of relationship: encountering instead of making a relationship   in existential language: being touched and present instead of seeking purposefully, finding out (‘in order to’)   in technical language: listening & being facilitative instead of guiding, steering or giving process advice   in ethical language: responding to a call instead of advising and moralizing   in didactical language: ‘Aus-Bildung’ (‘e-ducation’) instead of training

The distinguishing characteristics of a person-centered approach (the paradigm change) The distinguishing characteristics of a person-centered approach (the paradigm change) 1. As persons client & therapist spring from a fundamental ‘We’ 2. The client is the expert 3. The therapist is present 4. Therapy is dialogue

Paradigmatic challenges Some perspectives for the future of the PCA DDDDelve into sex and gender specific issues RRRRe-evaluation of group therapy DDDDevelop a theory of community IIIInclude creative ways, particularly play and art IIIInclude corporality and body work (unspectacularly) RRRRe-evaluate aggression CCCCreativity instead of classification of ‘dis-orders’ MMMMore self-confidence instead of eclecticism SSSSelf-presentation in the public and p.r. CCCCo-operation (e.g. the World Association)

‘I am willing to stand by valuing the person above anything else.’ Carl R. Rogers

more on pca-online.net pca-online.net The Person-Centered Website by Peter F. Schmid Die personzentrierte Site Le site centré sur la personne De Persoonsgerichte Site Site da Abordagem Centrada na Pessoa Página Web Centrada en la Persona