What are the key concepts of person centred counselling

Everyone’s mind is unique. From how they process information, perceive the world, to their personality. None of us are exactly the same.

This is why there are several forms of counselling and therapy. One approach may work for someone, whereas others won’t. And this is because of our uniqueness.

It is essential to find one method that works for the individual, rather than try to force a square peg into a round hole. So taking time to find the right therapist or counsellor can be time consuming.

This is why an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) is so useful.

A popular method is person-centred therapy and counselling, which has influenced many therapeutic techniques and the mental health field, in general.

Let’s explore the form of counselling, its person-centred approach, and how it can benefit your employees.

Table of Contents

What is person-centred counselling?

It is a humanistic approach that deals with how individuals perceive themselves, rather than how a counsellor may analyse them through subconscious thoughts or ideas. Through this, a person can reach their full potential and become their true self, which is termed as ‘self-actualisation.’

The American psychologist Carl Rogers founded it in the 1940s. He wanted a person-centred approach for counselling that focused on the clients’ experience of themselves, as opposed to a counsellor forcing their expertise and telling them what to do, or what was wrong with them.

It’s classed as one of the most influential and fundamental therapeutic processes, and is still applied almost universally in modern psychotherapy.

Key concepts and principles of person-centred counselling

For this method to work, there needs to be a safe environment set, because the client, not the counsellor, leads it. Emotional and physical threat needs to be removed for raw openness, comfort and personal growth.

Therefore, there are key concepts and principles which encourage conditions believed to help achieve this environment, particularly in the therapy room.

These three key concepts in person-centred counselling are:

Empathic understanding: the counsellor trying to understand the client’s point of view
Congruence: the counsellor being a genuine person
Unconditional positive regard: the counsellor being non-judgemental

What is person-centred counselling used for?

Person-centred counselling is better suited for clients who prefer the freedom of talking about their problems in a supportive and facilitative environment. Rather than follow a more directive, structured approach with specific techniques.

It is ideal for individuals who are motivated by self-discovery and work towards solving their issues.

During a person-centred counselling session, the person-centred therapist will encourage clients to bring their own issues to the session. Here, the client leads the entire counselling session, instead of the counsellor.

Person-centred counselling is a flexible form of therapy, because of its individualistic approach. Therefore, it’s used to treat several issues or conditions like:

Relationship problems
Depression
Anxiety
Bereavement
Addictions
Sexuality
Anger
Difficult transitions in life

Advantages of person-centred counselling

By offering a safe, comforting environment, the person-centred counselling model empowers clients. They can understand how their experiences have affected the way they feel about themselves and take the steps towards positive change.

Here are some of the unique benefits that person centred counselling offers over other models.

A better understanding of their idealised self and actual self.
Achieve better self-understanding and awareness.
Release feelings of defensiveness, insecurity and guilt.
Have a greater ability to trust oneself.
Develop healthier relationships.
See improvement in self-expression.
Encourages the client to think in the present time.

Tailored EAP counselling to suit your needs.

We offer complete nationwide coverage with our EAP, meaning your employees can easily access the support they need – whenever they need it.

With our EAP, you get access to our counsellors 24/7, 365 and our mental, physical, social and financial wellbeing resources. Our EAP counselling model aims to help employees make a full recovery as quickly as possible.

Find out more about EAPs

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The person-centred approach was developed from the concepts of humanistic psychology. The humanistic approach “views people as capable and autonomous, with the ability to resolve their difficulties, realize their potential, and change their lives in positive ways” (Seligman, 2006).

Carl Rogers (a major contributor of the client-centred approach) emphasized the humanistic perspective as well as ensuring therapeutic relationships with clients promote self-esteem, authenticity and actualisation in their life, and help them to use their strengths (Seligman, 2006).

The person-centred approach was originally focused on the client being in charge of the therapy which led to the client developing a greater understanding of self, self-exploration, and improved self-concepts. The focus then shifted to the client’s frame of reference and the core conditions required for successful therapy such as ensuring the therapist demonstrates empathic understanding in a non-judgemental way.

Currently, the person-centred approach focuses on the client being able to develop a greater understanding of self in an environment which allows the client to resolve his or her own problems without direct intervention by the therapist. The therapist should keep a questioning stance which is open to change as well as demonstrating courage to face the unknown.

Rogers also emphasised the attitudes and personal characteristics of the therapist and the quality of the client-therapist relationship as being the determinants for a successful therapeutic process (Corey, 2005).

Key Concepts

The humanistic influence on person-centred therapy – As previously mentioned, the humanistic approach has been a major influence on person-centred therapy. Person-centred therapists believe that clients are capable and trustworthy and they focus on clients’ ability to make changes for themselves.

Actualisation – People have the tendency to work towards self-actualisation. Self-actualisation refers to developing in a complete way. It occurs throughout the lifespan as the individual works towards “intrinsic goals, self-realization and fulfilment, involving autonomy and self-regulation” (Seligman, 2006).

Conditions of worth – Conditions of worth influence the way in which a person’s self-concept is shaped from important people in his or her life. Conditions of worth refer to judgemental and critical messages from important people that influence the way the individual acts and reacts to certain situations. When an individual has conditions of worth imposed on him or her, self-image is often low. Also, if the individual is exposed to overprotective or dominating environments, this can also have a negative impact on self-image (Seligman, 2006).

The fully functioning person – The fully functioning person is an individual who has “ideal emotional health” (Seligman, 2006). Generally, the fully functioning person will be open to experience, lives with a sense of meaning and purpose, and trusts in self and others. One of the main goals of person-centred therapy is to work towards becoming “fully functioning”.

Phenomenological perspective – The phenomenological approach refers to the unique perception by each individual of his or her own world. The individual experiences and perceives own world and reacts in an individual way. Person-centred therapy focuses on the individual’s own experience informing how treatment will work.

There are a number of general ideas about personality development with regard to person-centred therapy. Basically, person-centred therapy states that personality can be fully actualised when the individual is exposed to unconditional positive regard.

An individual who has been exposed to conditional positive regard can have low self-esteem and low feelings of worth. An individual who is self-actualised will be more open to experience and less defensive, will learn to live in the moment, will trust own decision-making skills, will have more life choices and be more creative.

Person Centered Therapy

By Dr. Saul McLeod, updated 2019

Humanistic therapies evolved in the USA during the 1950s. Carl Rogers proposed that therapy could be simpler, warmer and more optimistic than that carried out by behavioral or psychodynamic psychologists.

His view differs sharply from the psychodynamic and behavioral approaches in that he suggested that clients would be better helped if they were encouraged to focus on their current subjective understanding rather than on some unconscious motive or someone else’s interpretation of the situation.

Rogers strongly believed that in order for a client’s condition to improve therapists should be warm, genuine and understanding. The starting point of the Rogerian approach to counseling and psychotherapy is best stated by Rogers himself:

“It is that the individual has within himself or herself vast resources for self-understanding, for altering his or her self-concept, attitudes and self-directed behavior – and that these resources can be tapped if only a definable climate of facilitative psychological attitudes can be provided” (1980, p.115-117).

Rogers (1961) rejected the deterministic nature of both psychoanalysis and behaviorism and maintained that we behave as we do because of the way we perceive our situation. “As no one else can know how we perceive, we are the best experts on ourselves.”

Believing strongly that theory should come out of practice rather than the other way round, Rogers developed his theory based on his work with emotionally troubled people and claimed that we have a remarkable capacity for self-healing and personal growth leading towards self-actualization. He placed emphasis on the person’s current perception and how we live in the here-and-now.

Rogers noticed that people tend to describe their current experiences by referring to themselves in some way, for example, “I don’t understand what’s happening” or “I feel different to how I used to feel”.

Central to Rogers’ (1959) theory is the notion of self or self-concept. This is defined as “the organized, consistent set of perceptions and beliefs about oneself”. It consists of all the ideas and values that characterize ‘I’ and ‘me’ and includes perception and valuing of ‘what I am’ and ‘what I can do’.

Consequently, the self-concept is a central component of our total experience and influences both our perception of the world and perception of oneself. For instance, a woman who perceives herself as strong may well behave with confidence and come to see her actions as actions performed by someone who is confident.

The self-concept does not necessarily always fit with reality, though, and the way we see ourselves may differ greatly from how others see us.

For example, a person might be very interesting to others and yet consider himself to be boring. He judges and evaluates this image he has of himself as a bore and this valuing will be reflected in his self-esteem. The confident woman may have high self-esteem and the man who sees himself as a bore may have low self-esteem, presuming that strength/confidence are highly valued and that being boring is not.

Person Centered Approach

Note: Person centered therapy is also called client centered therapy.

A person enters person centered therapy in a state of incongruence. It is the role of the therapists to reverse this situation. Rogers (1959) called his therapeutic approach client-centered or person-centered therapy because of the focus on the person’s subjective view of the world.

One major difference between humanistic counselors and other therapists is that they refer to those in therapy as ‘clients’, not ‘patients’. This is because they see the therapist and client as equal partners rather than as an expert treating a patient.

Unlike other therapies, the client is responsible for improving his or her life, not the therapist. This is a deliberate change from both psychoanalysis and behavioral therapies where the patient is diagnosed and treated by a doctor.

Instead, the client consciously and rationally decides for themselves what is wrong and what should be done about it. The therapist is more of a friend or counselor who listens and encourages on an equal level.

One reason why Rogers (1951) rejected interpretation was that he believed that, although symptoms did arise from past experience, it was more useful for the client to focus on the present and future than on the past. Rather than just liberating clients from their past, as psychodynamic therapists aim to do, Rogerians hope to help their clients to achieve personal growth and eventually to self-actualize.

There is an almost total absence of techniques in Rogerian psychotherapy due to the unique character of each counseling relationship. Of utmost importance, however, is the quality of the relationship between client and therapist.

The therapeutic relationship…is the critical variable, not what the therapist says or does.

If there are any techniques they are listening, accepting, understanding and sharing, which seem more attitude-orientated than skills-orientated. In Corey’s (1991) view ‘a preoccupation with using techniques is seen [from the Rogerian standpoint] as depersonalizing the relationship’. The Rogerian client-centered approach puts emphasis on the person coming to form an appropriate understanding of their world and themselves.

Rogers regarded everyone as a “potentially competent individual” who could benefit greatly from his form of therapy. The purpose of Roger’s humanistic therapy is to increase a person’s feelings of self-worth, reduce the level of incongruence between the ideal and actual self, and help a person become more of a fully functioning person.

Core Conditions

Client-centered therapy operates according to three basic principles that reflect the attitude of the therapist to the client:

The therapist is congruent with the client.
The therapist provides the client with unconditional positive regard.
The therapist shows an empathetic understanding to the client.

Congruence in Counseling

Congruence is also called genuineness. Congruence is the most important attribute in counseling, according to Rogers. This means that, unlike the psychodynamic therapist who generally maintains a ‘blank screen’ and reveals little of their own personality in therapy, the Rogerian is keen to allow the client to experience them as they really are.

The therapist does not have a façade (like psychoanalysis), that is, the therapist’s internal and external experiences are one in the same. In short, the therapist is authentic.

Unconditional Positive Regard

The next Rogerian core condition is unconditional positive regard. Rogers believed that for people to grow and fulfill their potential it is important that they are valued as themselves.

This refers to the therapist’s deep and genuine caring for the client. The therapist may not approve of some of the client’s actions, but the therapist does approve of the client. In short, the therapist needs an attitude of “I’ll accept you as you are.”

The person-centered counselor is thus careful to always maintain a positive attitude to the client, even when disgusted by the client’s actions.

Empathy

Empathy is the ability to understand what the client is feeling. This refers to the therapist’s ability to understand sensitively and accurately [but not sympathetically] the client’s experience and feelings in the here-and-now.

An important part of the task of the person-centered counselor is to follow precisely what the client is feeling and to communicate to them that the therapist understands what they are feeling.

In the words of Rogers (1959), accurate empathic understanding is as follows:

“The state of empathy, or being empathic, is toperceive the internal frame of reference of another with accuracy and with the emotional components andmeanings which pertain thereto as if one were the person, but without ever losing the ‘as if’ condition. Thusit means to sense the hurt or the pleasure of another as he senses it and to perceive the causes thereof ashe perceives them, but without ever losing the recognition that it is as if I were hurt or pleased and so forth.If this ‘as if’ quality is lost, then the state is one of identification” (p. 210-211).

Conclusion

Because the person-centered counselor places so much emphasis on genuineness and on being led by the client, they do not place the same emphasis on boundaries of time and technique as would a psychodynamic therapist. If they judged it appropriate, a person-centered counselor might diverge considerably from orthodox counseling techniques.

As Mearns and Thorne (1988) point out, we cannot understand person-centered counseling by its techniques alone. The person-centered counselor has a very positive and optimistic view of human nature.

The philosophy that people are essentially good, and that ultimately the individual knows what is right for them, is the essential ingredient of a successful person centered therapy as “all about loving”.

Ten Tips for Client-Centred Counsellors

1. Set clear boundaries

For example, when and how long you want the session to last. You may also want to rule out certain topics of conversation.

2. The client knows best

The client is the expert on his/her own difficulties. It’s better to let the client explain what is wrong. Don’t fall into the trap of telling them what their problem is or how they should solve it.

3. Act as a sounding board

One useful technique is to listen carefully to what the client is saying and then try to explain to him/her what you think he/she is telling you in your own words. This can not only help you clarify the client’s point of view, it can also help the client understand his/her feelings better and begin to look for a constructive way forward.

4. Don’t be judgmental

Some clients may feel that their personal problems mean that they fall short of the ‘ideal’. They may need to feel reassured that they will be accepted for the person that they are and not face rejection or disapproval.

5. Don’t make decisions for them

Remember advice is a dangerous gift. Also, some clients will not want to take responsibility for making their own decisions. They may need to be reminded that nobody else can or should be allowed to choose for them. Of course you can still help them explore the consequences of the options open to them.

6. Concentrate on what they are really saying

Sometimes this will not be clear at the outset. Often a client will not tell you what is really bothering him/her until he/she feels sure of you. Listen carefully – the problem you are initially presented with may not be the real problem at all.

7. Be genuine

If you simply present yourself in your official role the client is unlikely to want to reveal personal details about themselves. This may mean disclosing things about yourself – not necessarily facts, but feelings as well. Don’t be afraid to do this – bearing in mind that you are under no obligation to disclose anything you do not want to.

8. Accept negative emotions

Some clients may have negative feelings about themselves, their family or even you. Try to work through their aggression without taking offense, but do not put up with personal abuse.

9. How you speak can be more important than what you say

It is possible to convey a great deal through your tone of voice. Often it will be found helpful to slow down the pace of the conversation. Short pauses where the client (and you) have time to reflect on the direction of the session can also be useful.

10. I may not be the best person to help

Knowing yourself and your own limitations can be just as important as understanding the client’s point of view. No person centred counsellor succeeds all the time. Sometimes you will be able to help but you will never know. Remember the purpose of a counseling session is not to make you feel good about yourself.

Learning Check

Joyce is a successful teacher and is liked by her colleagues. However, Joyce has always dreamed of becoming a ballroom dancer. She spends much of her free time with her partner practicing elaborate lifts and can often be seen twirling around the classroom during break times.Joyce is considering leaving teaching and becoming a professional dancer.

Her colleagues described her plans as ‘ridiculous’ and her parents who are very proud that their daughter is a teacher have told Joyce that they will not speak to her again if she does leave teaching to become a dancer. Joyce is beginning to feel sad and miserable.

Referring to features of humanistic psychology explain how Joyce’s situation may affect her personal growth. [8 marks]

How to reference this article:

McLeod, S. A. (2019, Jan 07). Person centered therapy. Simply Psychology. www.simplypsychology.org/client-centred-therapy.html

APA Style References

Corey, G. (1991). Invited commentary on macrostrategies for delivery of mental health counseling services.

Mearns, P., & Thorne, B. (1988). Person-Centred Counselling in Action (Counselling in Action series). London: SAGE Publications Ltd.

Rogers, C. (1951). Client-centered Therapy: Its Current Practice, Implications and Theory. London: Constable.

Rogers, C. (1959). A Theory of Therapy, Personality and Interpersonal Relationships as Developed in the Client-centered Framework. In (ed.) S. Koch,Psychology: A Study of a Science. Vol. 3: Formulations of the Person and the Social Context. New York: McGraw Hill.

Rogers, C. R. (1961). On Becoming a person: A psychotherapists view of psychotherapy. Houghton Mifflin.

Rogers, C. (1975). Empathic: An unappreciated way of being. The counseling psychologist, 5(2), 2-10.

Rogers, Carl R. (1980). Way of Being. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Rogers, C. (1986). Carl Rogers on the Development of the Person-Centered Approach. Person-Centered Review, 1(3), 257-259.

How to reference this article:

McLeod, S. A. (2019, Jan 07). Person centered therapy. Simply Psychology. www.simplypsychology.org/client-centred-therapy.html

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