COUN110 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Teachers College, Columbia University, Oak Park, Illinois, Us Organization
Person-Centred Therapy
Session Overview
• Overview !
• Concepts !
• Core Conditions !
• Theory of personality !
• Therapeutic Process !
• Comparison to Other Approaches !
• Applications !
• Conclusion !
Carl Rogers (1902-1987)
• Born in Oak Park, Illinois !
• Restricted, inexpressive family life, strictly religious (Christian) home !
• Graduated in 1924 from University of Wisconsin !
• Studied at the Union Theological Seminary and Teacher’s College, Columbia
University (ministry placement)!
• PhD in clinical psychology from Columbia !
• Worked for 12 years at a Child-Guidance Centre !
• Applied his system to education, politics and international conflicts !
• Clinical treatment of the Problem Child (1939) !
• Presents “Some Newer Concepts in Psychotherapy’ (1940)!
o The beginning of client-centred therapy !
• Director of Counselling Service for the US Organization during WW11 !
• Set up a counselling centre (Uni of Chicago), professor of psychology (1945-57) !
o Tested his theories (Practitioner-Researcher model) !
• Classic paper on ‘necessary and sufficient conditions’ for therapy (1957) !
o Articulated the key elements of all types of therapy, not just client-centred !
o Reprinted in the 90s !
Influences
• Rogers noted that the traditional child-guidance methods in which he has been trained
did not work very well !
• His early training included testing, diagnostic interviewing and interpretations !
• As an alternative, Rogers tried listening and following the clients lead rather than
assuming the role of expert !
• A 3-day seminar with Rank, and an associate with a social worker, Elizabeth Davis,
informed Rogers !
o I first got the notion of responding almost entirely to the feeling and being
expressed, later called the reflection feelings (microskill)!
Elements of Rankian Therapy related to Person Centred Therapy
• Individuals have personal creative power !
• Aim is acceptance by clients of self as unique and self-reliant person!
• The client is the central figure in the process !
• Client is own therapist – self healing!
• The therapist is neither an instrument of love nor education !
• Goals are achieved not by exploring the past, but by experiencing the present in the
therapeutic situation (doesn’t focus on the past, but experiencing future moment)!
Kurt Goldstein
• Worked with brain-injured soldiers !
• His holistic theory of personality emphasised that individuals must be understood as
totalities to actualize themselves (as whole being and not just an injury)!
• Aligns with Rogers' actualizing tendency !
CONCEPTS
View of Human Nature
• At their core, humans are trustworthy and positive !
• Humans are capable of making changes and living productive, effective lives !
• Humans innately gravitate towards actualization !
• Given the right growth-fostering conditions, individuals strive to move forward and
fulfil their creative nature !
o Movement toward order, complicity and interrelatedness !
• Can be seen across aspects of nature including the stars, crystals, microorganisms as
well as humans !
• Formative tendency !
o Directed towards greater complexity, fulfilment of potential – towards formation,
attracted to complexity (there are more layers, understand layer get a richer
picture so having a comprehensive understanding of self)!
• Actualising tendency !
o We have all the raw materials within us to become our full self !
• 'organismic valuing process'!
o People have an innate sense of what they need – listen to self in deep way our
being will tell us what we need !
• "As the awareness of self emerges, the individual develops a need for positive regard.
This need is universal pervasive and persistent" (Rogers, 1959) - can be misunderstood
as a need for approval of others. !
Overview of Approach
• Therapist cultivate a positive, non-judgemental, accepting attitude toward whatever the
client is at the moment – if client is resistant, goal of therapist is being accepting of the
client !
• Therapists openly express feelings rather than hiding behind a mask of professionalism
– with care and intention !
• The therapist experiences unconditional positive regard and empathic understanding,
and communicates this effectively – conveying these to the client to ensure they feel
these things!
• The client will respond with constructive changes in personality organization !
Concept 1
• The person: active, self-regulating organism, rather than a constellation of diagnoses !
o Organism reacts as an organized whole !
o Motivated by actualizing and formative tendencies !
• The therapist: open, authentic, empathic, non-directive (not according the therapist
ideas of how the client need to heal, but is directive that the therapist goal is to bring
forward actualising tendance. Bring client to present by asking questions) ; trusts client
inner resources !
• The relationship; unique, responsive; client of freedom and safety – track the client
closely!
Concept 2
• Experience – the private world of the individual !
• Reality – private individual perceptions !
• Internal frame of reference forms the basis of the perceptual field – basis of how we
work, seeing world through clients eyes !
• The Self, Concept of Self, and Self-Structure as organised consistent conceptual gestalt
(in a whole way)!
• Symbolization – process through which individual become aware of experiences !
Client – Centred Therapy is Different from Other Models
• Medical model of therapy views person as patients with problematic parts !
• Other forms of treatment are directed by experts !
• Client-centred approaches focus on the client's inborn capacity for self healing !
• Difference for the therapist is between using self and being oneself !
Contrast with other therapeutic models
• The traditional view is one of an uncovering of hidden or denial feelings or experiences
(getting to the unconscious):!
o Question is how these hidden experiences exist and how are they resolved !
o Listening to client's narratives are thought to be the avenue for helping the client
deal with these internal conflicts !
Reaction Against Psychoanalytic Approach
• Challenges; !
o The assumption that 'the counsellor knows best' !
o The validity of advice, suggestion, persuasion, teaching, diagnosis, and
interpretation !
