History of client-centered therapy
- Developed by Carl Rogers
- Also known as “humanistic,” “phenomenological,” “person-centered,” and “Rogerian”
- Third force in psychology, different than behaviorism and psychoanalysis
Carl Rogers
- Originally started as a psychoanalyst, felt that it was too impersonal
- Followed the client’s lead instead of taking the “expert” role
- No clear technique to his therapy, skillfully listen and understand, go wherever the client goes
Nondirective approach (Otto Rank)
Client takes charge of the session, leads the session
Describe the theory of personality for client-centered therapy
- All humans have an actualizing tendency (formative tendency)
- We react as a whole
- The self is built upon our experiences, our internal frame of reference, and our organismic valuing process
- Our reality is based on our perceptions and our behaviors
Actualizing tendency
All organisms seek to maintain and enhance themselves, seek to meet their goals
Reacting as a whole
Humans strive for autonomy and are more than the sum of their parts (ex. a disorder classification)
Internal frame of reference
The way in which the client sees the world from their own unique vantage point, our internal, private reality
Organismic valuing process
How we come to determine values for ourselves, based on internalized conditions of worth
Symbolization
Being conscious of your own experience, your internal world is in your consciousness
Psychological adjustment
We must have experiences that our consistent with ourselves (congruence), an understanding and unconditional acceptance of others, and see valuing as a continuous process
Unconditional positive regard
Accepting oneself/others no matter the things they have done and what they value. Must be done by therapist and client.
Formative tendency
Nature strives toward order
Parts of the self-concept
We are the center of our own worlds, our structure is consistent and changes with us, and our behavior can be consistent or inconsistent with our values
Congruence
Being able to symbolize one’s own experiences and be transparent about them
Empathy
Profound interest and care for another person and their reality
Reality
The reality perceived by the individual and their experiences
Locus of evaluation
Where our values come from; can be internal or external
Our perception
- We react to the world based on our own perceptions of reality and self
- Our behavior then attempts to satisfy our needs
- Therapist must understand behavior through the individual’s vantage point (people are doing the best they can)
Describe the similarities and differences between client-centered therapy and psychoanalytic therapy.
Differences: Lack of technique, necessary and sufficient conditions, focusing on the client’s perspective, lack of diagnoses, not focused on changing the client’s personality, egalitarian relationship
Similarities: themes of the unconscious, warm approach
Theory of psychotherapy (what should this therapy aim to do?)
- Focuses on clients’ capacity for healing
- The therapist cannot possibly decide what the client needs
- Create space for self-healing to occur
Necessary and sufficient conditions for therapy
1) Two people in psychological contact
2) Client is in a state of incongruence
3) Therapist is congruent or integrated into the relationship
4) Therapist experiences unconditional positive regard for the client
5) Therapist experiences an empathetic understanding of the client
6) Client perceives therapists’ empathetic understanding and positive regard
Core conditions for therapist
Congruence, unconditional positive regard, empathy
Core conditions for client
High external locus of control at the beginning of therapy (locus of eval), not conscious of their own experiences (incongruence), distress is caused by conflicting desires (self-concept)
Methods of psychotherapy (how is the therapy conducted?)
Nondirective approach, respect, understanding, recognize implicit feelings/the unconscious, clarify, answer questions without reassurance or advice or judgements
