Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy,Psych422 Chapter7: Person-centered Therapy,Questions?,What key concepts do you know in terms of person-center therapy? Do you believe most clients have the capacity to understand and resolve their own problems without directive intervention by the therapist? Why or why not?,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,Person-Centered Therapy,Emphasizes: Therapy as a journey shared by two people The persons innate striving for self-actualization The personal characteristics of the therapist and the quality of the therapeutic relationship The counselors creation of a permissive, “growth promoting” climate People are capable of self-directed growth if involved in a therapeutic relationship,Six Conditions (necessary and sufficient for personality changes to occur),1. Two persons are in psychological contact 2. The first, the client, is experiencing incongruency 3. The second person, the therapist, is congruent or integrated in the relationship 4. The therapist experiences unconditional positive regard or real caring for the client 5. The therapist experiences empathy for the clients internal frame of reference and endeavors to communicate this to the client 6. The communication to the client is, to a minimal degree, achieved,View of Human Nature,Person as innately striving toward becoming fully functioning. Therapists attitudes and belief in the inner resources of the clients Client self-healing capacities Clients as primary change agent Clients actualize their potential for growth, spontaneity, and inner-directedness,Therapeutic Goals,helping a person become a fully functioning person Clients have the capacity to define their goals an openness to experience A trust in themselves An internal source of evaluation A willingness to continue growing,Therapists function and Role,Function: to be present and accessible to clients, to focus on immediate experience, to be real in the relationship with clients Through the therapists attitude of genuine caring, respect, acceptance, and understanding, clients become less defensive and more open to their experience and facilitate the personal growth,Therapists Function and Role,Role: Therapists attitude and belief in the inner resources of the client, not in techniques, facilitate personal change in the client Use of self as an instrument of change Focuses on the quality of the therapeutic relationship Serves as a model of a human being struggling toward greater realness Is genuine, integrated, and authentic Can openly express feelings and attitudes that are present in the relationship with the client,Clients Experience in Therapy,Incongruence: discrepancy between self-perception and experience in realityanxietymotivation to help As clients feel understood and accepted, their defensiveness is less necessary and they become more open to their experiences Therapeutic relationship activate clients self-healing capacities,Relationship Between Therapist and Client,Emphasizes the attitudes and personal characteristics of the therapist and the quality of therapeutic relationship. Therapist listening in an accepting way to their clients, they learn how to listen acceptingly to themselves.,Relationship Between Therapist and Client,Congruence - genuineness or realness Unconditional positive regard- acceptance and caring, but not approval of all behavior Accurate empathic understanding an ability to deeply grasp the clients subjective world Helper attitudes are more important than knowledge,Therapeutic techniques and procedures,It is not technique-oriented A misunderstanding-this approach is simply to restate what the client just said or the technique of reflection of feelings (It is incorrect). The therapeutic relationship is the primary agent of growth in the client Therapists presence: being completely engaged in the relationship with clients. The best source of knowledge about the client is the individual client,Questions,What are the basic concepts of this theory that you might consider incorporating into your personal style of counseling?,Areas of Application,individual counseling, group counseling, education, human relations training A variety of problems: anxiety, crisis intervention, interpersonal difficulties, depression, personality disorder,From a multicultural perspective,Contributions Has reached more than 30 counties and has been translated to 12 languages Reduction of racial and political tensions Limitations Some people need more structure, coping skills, directedness Some may focus on family or societal expectations instead of internal evaluation May be unfamiliar with people in d