Person centred is a humanistic approach that deals with the ways in which individual perceive themselves consciously rather than how a counsellor can interpret their unconscious thoughts or ideas.
Person centred counselling is a talking therapy which places the client at the heart of his or her own therapy. As the founder of the approach, Carl Rogers, says ‘it is the client who knows what hurts, what direction to go, what problems are crucial, what experiences have been deeply buried,’ Person centred therapist work to establish a relationship with their clients in which they are able to develop their self-awareness. Through this, Counsellors help clients effect changes in their lives based on understanding of their own feelings and behaviour and it’s a process. A person centred counsellor will aid this process and will provide vital support to help their client’s overcome the problems that are preventing their personal development and progress.
The core purpose of the person centred approach is to actualise tendency, facilitate the personal growth and relationships of an individual by allowing them to explore and utilise their own strengths and personal identity.
The three core conditions that reflect the attitude of the counsellor to a client are:
1. Congruence - the counsellor must be completely genuine
2. Unconditional positive regard – the counsellor must be non-judgemental
3. Empathy - the counsellor must strive to understand the client’s point of view
The person centred approach recognises that an individual’s social environment and personal relationships can greatly impact an individual ability to flourish, so therapy is offered in a neutral and comfortable setting where a client can feel at ease, authentic and open to learning about themselves.
The client-centered conditions can be implemented in different ways by different therapists with