Understanding Person-centred Counselling
“Person or client-centred therapy is based on the view that everyone has the capacity and desire for personal growth and change, given the right conditions. Rather than being seen as the expert and directing the therapy, the counsellor offers unconditional positive regard, empathy and congruence to help you come to terms with any negative feelings and to change and develop in your own way.”
Source: British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP) website.
So what does this mean for you?
It means that I will…
- never stand in judgement of you (unconditional positive regard)
- always be my honest self in sessions with you (congruence)
- always share your feelings from wherever you are in that moment (empathy)
These are called the core conditions and they are the result of the work and research of Carl Rogers whose working practice informed his theory. He went on to fine-tune his theories all of his life; he also put his theories into practice all his life! You can read more about him and his approach here: https://www.simplypsychology.org/carl-rogers.html
I chose to train in this method of therapy because I have experienced it myself and, like many therapists, continue to work with my own counsellor in order to better understand myself. I have found it to be powerfully effective in allowing me to not only understand but appreciate why I am the way I am, and to reflect on why I respond to other people in the way I do. Working with a person-centred counsellor has changed so much about how I live my life and it is my hope that you might find the same benefit.