“Evaluate the Claim That Person-Centred Therapy Offers the Therapist All That He/She Will Need to Treat Clients”
“EVALUATE THE CLAIM THAT PERSON-CENTRED THERAPY OFFERS THE THERAPIST ALL THAT HE/SHE WILL NEED TO TREAT CLIENTS”
INTRODUCTION:
Carl Ransom Rogers (1902 – 1987) was amongst the most influential figures of humanistic psychology, a school of psychotherapy that rejected medical and psychoanalytic models of treatment, and instead put forth a theory of personality and behaviour that presumed the source of psychological health ultimately resides in the individual person rather than in a programme based on the expert knowledge and authority of a psychiatric professional. Rogers’ specific form of humanistic psychology is broadly based on his view of human personality, which he believed naturally tended to develop in what he considered a healthy manner unless it is adversely influenced by life-experiences. From this theoretical basis, Rogers created a form of therapy that he called ‘client-centred’, (or person-centred) as opposed to forms of treatment that are directed by the expertise of the therapist.
In the field of Counselling and Psychotherapy there are many differing theories which are used to help those who seek counselling, including client-centred therapy. In many parts of the world client-centred therapy is seen as a family of therapies, including Experiential Psychotherapy and Focusing. Closely associated with client-centred therapy are existential therapy and various integrative approaches. Since Carl Rogers’ death, there has been much debate regarding what can and cannot rightly claim to be called ‘client-centred therapy.’ Proponents of the differing ‘Tribes’ argue for their schools of thought. (Warner 2006).
At the heart of all the differing thoughts and modes of delivery are the six conditions for therapeutic change which Rogers described as being needed before a client could move towards the changes that they wanted to make in their lives. Carl Rogers, along with Abraham Maslow, was the founder of the humanist approach to clinical
INTRODUCTION:
Carl Ransom Rogers (1902 – 1987) was amongst the most influential figures of humanistic psychology, a school of psychotherapy that rejected medical and psychoanalytic models of treatment, and instead put forth a theory of personality and behaviour that presumed the source of psychological health ultimately resides in the individual person rather than in a programme based on the expert knowledge and authority of a psychiatric professional. Rogers’ specific form of humanistic psychology is broadly based on his view of human personality, which he believed naturally tended to develop in what he considered a healthy manner unless it is adversely influenced by life-experiences. From this theoretical basis, Rogers created a form of therapy that he called ‘client-centred’, (or person-centred) as opposed to forms of treatment that are directed by the expertise of the therapist.
In the field of Counselling and Psychotherapy there are many differing theories which are used to help those who seek counselling, including client-centred therapy. In many parts of the world client-centred therapy is seen as a family of therapies, including Experiential Psychotherapy and Focusing. Closely associated with client-centred therapy are existential therapy and various integrative approaches. Since Carl Rogers’ death, there has been much debate regarding what can and cannot rightly claim to be called ‘client-centred therapy.’ Proponents of the differing ‘Tribes’ argue for their schools of thought. (Warner 2006).
At the heart of all the differing thoughts and modes of delivery are the six conditions for therapeutic change which Rogers described as being needed before a client could move towards the changes that they wanted to make in their lives. Carl Rogers, along with Abraham Maslow, was the founder of the humanist approach to clinical
References: Bohart A. C. (2007) The Handbook of Person Centred Psychotherapy and Counselling (p 50), Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillian Bozarth, J.D Burckell, L.A and Godfried, MR. (2006) ‘Therapist qualities preferred by sexual-minority individuals’. Cooper M Carlson M. (1998). http://whyfiles.org/087mother/4.html, and http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/1998/06.11/OfHugsandHormon.html Cooper M, (2008 a) Essential Research Findings (p109) London: Sage Publications Ltd. Cooper M, (2008 b) Essential Research Findings (p 137) London: Sage Publications Ltd. Elliott, R., Greenberg, L.S. and Lietaer, G. (2004) ‘Research on experiential therapies’ in Cooper M Feife, H.l. and Eels, J. (1963) ‘Patients and therapists assess the same psychotherapy’. Cooper M Krebs, D., Blackman, R. (1988). Psychology: A first encounter. Toronto: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. Pescitelli D Goldstein, Kurt. The Organism: A Holistic Approach to Biology Derived from Pathological Data in Man. (1934). New York: Zone Books, 1995. An Analysis of Carl Rogers ' Theory of Personality by Dagmar Pescitelli Harlow H.F. (1959) Love in infant monkeys. Scientific American, (2006), 68-74. Sanders P., (2006) Klein, M.H., Koldne, G.G., Michels, J.L. and Chisolm-Stockard, S. ( 2002) ‘Congruence’. Cooper M. (2008) Essential Research Findings (p111) London: Sage Publications Ltd. Orlinsky, D.E., Rønnestad, M.H. and Willutzki, U. (2004) ‘Fifty years of psychotherapy process -outcome research: continuity and change’. Cooper M (1998). In The PCCS Books Ltd, Wilkins, P YouTube (2010) ‘http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBkUqcqRChg&feature=related