What Is The Person-Centred Approach To Counselling & Psychotherapy?

A Way Of Being

For over 14 years I have been working with people from a Person-Centred Approach. Do you notice that I do not say that I have been ‘using’ this approach or ‘applying’ this method? That is because the Person-Centred Approach is not only a highly effective way of offering Counselling and Psychotherapy but is also a belief system around humans and how we prosper. This way of working with people becomes a way of being that spans beyond the therapy room into how all of us could possibly relate to one another in all aspects of life.

But what about the Person-Centred Approach when it comes to Counselling and Psychotherapy?

The Person-Centred Approach to counselling and psychotherapy was developed primarily by Carl Rogers. A key difference with the Person-Centred approach is that it places it’s emphasis on, and believes in, the human capacity for growth, choice and creativity.

This was the first approach to therapy to be developed out of substantial clinical research evidence. The extensive research suggests that, as your therapist, I can be of most help to you by providing a facilitative therapeutic space that trusts you to explore your own unique inner world with me right alongside you. This results in you locating solutions to any of your concerns from within yourself. Change that is uniquely tailored to you as an individual and your situation and life experiencing is change that is long-lasting. This removes the therapist from:

the position of expert in relation to the client and their experiences;

to:

expert in providing a facilitative space and facilitative relationship with a client.

Sometimes this 'non-directive' approach can feel unusual, especially as we are often used to handing over power to experts and letting them direct us. Yet it was found, via extensive research, that over even a short space of time a client’s inner resources can flourish in the facilitative environment of empathic understanding, lack of judgement and congruence (or realness) offered by the person-centred psychotherapist.

Sounds good, but what does that mean for me as a client?

Changes associated with person-centered therapy can encompass:

1. Evolution in self-perception

2. Shifts in self-attitude

3. Exploration and identification of new emotions

4. Encounters with fresh experiences

5. Heightened emotional resilience

6. Improved self-determination, manifested through the ability to autonomously make decisions based on personal assessments of situations

7. Enhanced self-confidence

8. Cultivation of a greater capacity for self-trust

9. Development of increased self-acceptance and self-compassion

10. Establishment of deeper connections with others

    .

As we come to know ourselves more and like ourselves more our low mood shifts and our depression lifts.

As we trust ourselves more and feel more connected to others we feel less anxious.

As we get in contact with our emotions we become less afraid of them and therefore are less likely to panic.

Consequently, coupled with these transformations, it is often the case that individuals report alleviation from the likes of depression, low mood, panic, and anxiety.

If you would like to know more please feel free get in touch.