History:
Dr. Carl Rogers is known as one of thee greatest psychologist of the 20th century. Dr. Carl Rogers was a humanist thinker and believed that people are generally good.
Dr. Rogers also said that people are fundamentally good, or a need to fulfill their human potential and become the best that they can be.
Dr. Rogers called his technique non-directive therapy at the beginning. His aim was to be as non-directive as possible, he saw that psycho-therapists guide their clients even in some way. He also saw that clients mostly look to their therapists for some type of advice or direction.
What is Client-Centered Therapy:
Finally, the Dr. Rogers technique came to be known as Rogerian, client-centered therapy or person-centered therapy.
Dr. Rogers used the term client rather than patient. He thought that the term patient implied that the person is sick and seeking a cure from a therapist.
Dr. Rogers used the term client instead of patient, he emphasized the importance of the person in seeking help, controlling their future, and overcoming their problems. This self-direction is a important part in client-centered therapy.
Like psychoanalyst Dr. Freud , Dr. Rogers thought that the therapeutic interaction could find insights and lasting changes in clients. While Dr. Freud focused on giving interpretations of what he thought were the unconscious problems that led to a patients troubles, Dr. Rogers believed that the therapist should stay non-directive.
This is to say, the psycho-therapist should not direct the client, should not give judgments on the client’s feelings, and should not give suggestions or alternatives. Instead, the client should play an equal part in the therapeutic sessions.
How Does Client-Centered Therapy Works:
Psychology professionals who utilize this technique strive to create a therapeutic environment that is relaxing, empathic, and non-judgmental. 2 of these key elements of client-centered therapy are:
- It’s non-directive. Therapists let clients lead the talk and do not try to direct the client in a certain direction.
- It emphasizes unconditional positive regard. Therapists is completely accepting and supportive of their clients without judgment.
Three Key Qualities of Client-Centered Therapists:
What Is Genuineness?
The therapist needs to speak of his or her feelings honestly. By showing this behavior, the therapist can help show the client and to also help the client develop this important skill.
What Is Unconditional Positive Regard?
The therapist must understand the client for who they really are and show support and care for them no matter what the client is experiencing in their life. Dr. Rogers believed that humans often develop issues because they are used to only getting conditional help; being accepted only if the person conforms to certain expectations.
By creating an environment of unconditional positive regard, the client is able to speak his or her true feelings without fear of being turned down.
Dr. Rogers also explained: “Unconditional positive regard means that when the therapist is experiencing a positive, acceptant attitude toward whatever the client is at that moment, therapeutic movement or change is more likely. It involves the therapist’s willingness for the client to be whatever feeling is going on at that moment – confusion, resentment, fear, anger, courage, love, or pride…The therapist prizes the client in a total rather than a conditional way.”
What Is Empathetic Understanding?
The therapist needs to be reflective, meaning: acting as a mirror of the client’s thought and feelings. The goal of this technique is to allow the client to gain an open understanding of their own inner feelings, emotions and perceptions.
By showing these 3 characteristics, therapists can assist clients grow psychologically, become self-aware, and change his or her behavior by self-direction. In this type of therapeutic relationship, a client feels safe and free from judgment. Dr. Rogers believed that this type of environment allows clients to make a healthier view of the world and a less cloudy view of one self.
What Is Self-Concept:
Self-concept also an important part in person-centered therapy.
Dr. Rogers believed that self-concept as an organized set of beliefs and ideas about the self. The self-concept play an important role in determining not only how people see themselves, but also how they view and interact with the world around them.
Sometimes self-concept lines up well with reality, which Rogers referred to as congruence. In other cases, self-perceptions are sometimes unrealistic or not in tune with what exists in the real world. Rogers believed that all people distort reality to some degree, but when self-concept is in conflict with reality, incongruence can result.
For example, a young boy might perceive himself as a strong athlete, despite the fact that his actual performance on the field reveals that he is not particularly skilled and could use extra practice.
Through the process of person-centered therapy, Rogers believed that people could learn to adjust their self-concept in order to achieve congruence and a more realistic view of themselves and the world. For example, imagine a young woman who views herself as uninteresting and a poor conversationalist despite the fact that other people find her fascinating and quite engaging.
Because her self-perceptions are not congruent with reality, she may experience poor self-esteem as a result. The client-centered approach focuses on providing unconditional positive regard, empathy, and genuine support in order to help the client reach a more congruent view of herself
Role in Today’s Culture:
Actor Bob Newhart portrayed a therapist who utilized client-centered therapy on “The Bob Newhart Show” which aired from 1972 to 1978.
How Effective Is Client-Centered Therapy?
Several large-scale studies have shown that the three qualities that Rogers emphasized, genuineness, unconditional positive regard, and empathetic understanding, are all beneficial. However, some studies have suggested that these factors alone are not necessarily enough to promote lasting change in clients.4
One evaluation that looked at the effectiveness of person-centered therapy suggested that this approach was effective for individuals experiencing common mental health problems such as depression and anxiety, and may even be helpful to those experiencing more moderate to severe symptoms.
Shervan K Shahhian
LIBERTY PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION 