Essay 1 Person Centred Therapy
Evaluate the claim that Person-Centred Therapy offers the therapist all that he/she will need to treat clients.
Introduction
In this essay I will look at the claim that Person-Centred Therapy offers the therapist all that he/she will need to treat clients. Firstly, I will outline what Person-Centred therapy is and look at what its originator, Carl Rogers’, theories behind this approach are. I will then discuss some of the criticisms that have been made about Person-Centred Therapy, and weigh them up to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of this therapeutic approach. In the conclusion I will reflect on my learning, and on my own experiences and opinions.
What is Person-Centred Therapy
Person-Centred Therapy is a humanistic approach to therapy. Humanistic approaches were developed in America around 1950s. The humanistic view is that individuals have a uniquely human need to realise as much of their own potential as possible (Sanders, 2011) .
Carl Rogers is the founder of Person-Centred Therapy. A central assumption of his approach is that every client has the ability to find their own way forward, because of their instinctive need for reaching their full potential. Because of this need of self-improvement, the approach of therapy is non-directive and non-judgemental. This need for self-improvement is also described as “self-actualisation”. He describes that everyone has an internal “locus of evaluation”, meaning that everybody has his or her source of wisdom deep within them, and for a fully functioning person this wisdom is accessible. He also uses the term “organismic self”, by which he means the real self, what a person is capable of becoming if they lived in an ideal world. Children and adults need unconditional acceptance in order to develop in a healthy way. However, in reality, children frequently grow up under circumstances where they learn to seek approval, and from a young age most people will experience disapproval and rejection in their lives. This
Introduction
In this essay I will look at the claim that Person-Centred Therapy offers the therapist all that he/she will need to treat clients. Firstly, I will outline what Person-Centred therapy is and look at what its originator, Carl Rogers’, theories behind this approach are. I will then discuss some of the criticisms that have been made about Person-Centred Therapy, and weigh them up to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of this therapeutic approach. In the conclusion I will reflect on my learning, and on my own experiences and opinions.
What is Person-Centred Therapy
Person-Centred Therapy is a humanistic approach to therapy. Humanistic approaches were developed in America around 1950s. The humanistic view is that individuals have a uniquely human need to realise as much of their own potential as possible (Sanders, 2011) .
Carl Rogers is the founder of Person-Centred Therapy. A central assumption of his approach is that every client has the ability to find their own way forward, because of their instinctive need for reaching their full potential. Because of this need of self-improvement, the approach of therapy is non-directive and non-judgemental. This need for self-improvement is also described as “self-actualisation”. He describes that everyone has an internal “locus of evaluation”, meaning that everybody has his or her source of wisdom deep within them, and for a fully functioning person this wisdom is accessible. He also uses the term “organismic self”, by which he means the real self, what a person is capable of becoming if they lived in an ideal world. Children and adults need unconditional acceptance in order to develop in a healthy way. However, in reality, children frequently grow up under circumstances where they learn to seek approval, and from a young age most people will experience disapproval and rejection in their lives. This
References: Harris, Sam. (2012) Free Will, USA: Free Press Jacobs, Michael (2010) Psychodynamic Counselling in Action, London: Sage Publications Katie, Byron (2002) Loving what is, USA: Rider Mearns, Dave (1980) The Person-Centred Approach to Therapy (Paper presented at the Scottish Association for Counselling, 31st May, 1980 Rogers, Carl R. (2003) Client Centred Therapy, London: Constable & Robinson Sanders, P