Chapter 7: Person-Centered Therapy Flashcards
Carl Rogers
major spokesperson of human psychology
foundational idea of central role of client-therapist relationship as means to growth and change
the first to study counseling process in depth
first to conduct major studies in psychotherapy using quantitative methods
first to formulate comprehensive theory of personality
father of psychotherapy research
Natalie Rogers
pioneer in expressive arts therapy
developed the concept of the creative connection
roger’s basic assumptions
people are essentially trustworthy
they have vast potential for understanding themselves and resolving their own problems
capable of self-directed growth
**all this without huge therapist intervention
Zimring, Raskin, Bozarth, and Tausch four periods of development for Carl Rogers theory
1st. 1940s non directive counseling
2nd: 1950s client-centered therapy (characterized by shift to focus on phenomenological world of the client)
3rd: late 1950s - 1970s; addressed the necessary and sufficient conditions of therapy
4th: 1980s-1990s; his theory became known as person-centered approach
non directive counseling
counselor creates a permissive and non directive climate
challenged notion that counselor knows best
student-centered teachin
educational approach where client-centered philosophy is applied
emotion focused therapy (EFT)
experiential approach to therapy that is empirically supported and research-informed
person-centered approach
designed to help clients increase their awareness of their emotions and make productive use of them
Emotion-focused therapy (EFT) two major tasks
help clients with too little emotion access their emotions help clients who experience too much emotion contain their emotions
third force in therapy
alternative to the psychoanalytic and behavioral approaches
includes existential therapy, person-centered therapy, and gestalt therapy.
existentialism vs humanism
similar: both emphasize uniqueness of client experience and concepts such as freedom, choice, values, etc
different: existential focuses on anxiety and stark realities of human experiences, humanists take a more optimistic view that we all have natural potential
humanistic psychology
furthered understanding of self-actualizing individuals
pioneered by Abraham Maslow
core characteristics of self-actualizing people
self-awareness, freedom, basic honest and caring, and trust and autonomy
can strive for self-actualizing after meeting 4 out of 5 of hierarchy of needs
hierarchy of needs
physiological needs: basic needs such as food and sleep
safety needs: sense of security and stability
belonging and love
need for esteem: both from self and others
self-transcendence: motivational step beyond self-actualization
self-transcendence
provides a comprehensive understanding of worldviews regarding the meaning of life
a broader understanding of the motivational roots of altruism, social progress, and wisdom,
a basis for the integration of spirituality in mainstream psych
a more integrated multicultural approach to psychological theory
positive psychology
shares many concepts on the healthy side of human existence with the humanistic approach.
advocates Called for increase studies in hope, courage, authentic happiness, etc.
help people thrive, not survive
person-centered view on human nature
the client has the ability to move forward in a constructive manner if fostering growth condition are met
people are trustworthy, resourceful, and capable of self-understanding and making productive changes to their lives
three attributes that therapist use to help create a growth-promoting climate
congruence (genuineness)
unconditional positive regard (acceptance and caring)
accurate empathic understanding (grasp subjective world of person)
actualizing tendency
directional process of striving toward realization, fulfillment, autonomy, and self-determination
based on Maslow (1970) study
therapeutic goals
assist clients in achieving a greater degree of independence and intergration so they can better cope with problems as they identify them
therapist function and told
rooted in their ways of being and attitude
What are the best predictors that a client will improve in therapy
active
open
non-defensive
relationship between therapist and client
the better the therapeutic relationship, the better the outcomes
Roger’s hypothesis
if the therapeutic core conditions exist over some period of time, constructive personality change will occur (it does not vary between client + necessary and efficient)
1. two persons in psychological contact
2. the first, client, is in state of incongruence, being vulnerable and anxious
3. the second person, therapist, congruent (which is perceived by client)
4. the therapist experiences unconditional positive regard for the client
5. the therapist experiences an empathic understanding of the client internal frame of reference and endeavors to communicate this experience to the client
6. the communication to the client of the therapists empathic understanding and unconditional positive regard to is to a minimal degree achieved
Congruence/genuineness
through authenticity, therapist serves as a model of a human being struggling toward greater realness
therapist remains genuine and honest without force or over self-disclosure
neither unconditional positive regard or empathy can operate without this first step
unconditional positive regard and acceptance
non-possessive and not contaminated by evaluation or judgement of client’s feelings, thoughts, and behavior as good/bad.
accurate empathic understanding
understand clients experience and feelings sensitively and accurately in the moment
the capacity to see the world of another by assuming the internal from of reference of that person
foundation of all therapeutic approaches
empathy
deep and subjective understanding of the client with the client
roger’s integral model of empathy that is based on three ways of knowing
subjective empathy
interpersonal empathy
objective empathy
subjective empathy
enables practicioners to experience what it is like to be the client
interpersonal empathy
pertains to understanding a clients internal frame of reference
objective empathy
relies on knowledge sources outside of a clients frame of reference
accurate empathic
implies that the therapist will sense clients feelings as if they were their own without becoming lost in those feelings
empathetic therapists
strive to discover the meaning of the clients experience, understand the overall goals of the client, and tailor their responses to the specific client
immediacy
addressing what is going on between client and therapist
highly valued in person-centered therapy
therapeutic thechniques and methods
none specified, therapist must adjust it depending on the client
free to use an array; must ask “does it fit?”; therapist must continuously monitor this and adjust accordingly
the role of assessment
person-centered do not follow traditional ones since it is limiting
depend on clients self-assessment
application of person-centered philosophy
effective for a wide variety of problems
basic concepts are straightforward and easy to comprehend, making it easy for clients to utilize at home
application to crisis intervention
- give them an opportunity to fully express themselves
- actions from there
application to group counseling
therapist is facilitator, not leader
facilitator must be honest and genuine to be trusted and have group flow (person-centered climate)
application of person-centered approach with children/teens/school counseling
make yourself known prior to session
lots of nonverbal communication to send message of safe environment
help kids make their own decisions and choose what they need to be successful
expressive arts therapy
Natalie rogers
tends the person-centered approach to spontaneous creative expression , which symbolizes deep and sometimes inaccessible feelings and emotional states
integrates mind, body, emotions, and inner spiritual resources
principles of expressive arts therapy
-all people have an innate ability to be creative
-the creative process is transformative and healing
-personal growth and higher states of consciousness are thieved through self-awareness, self-understanding, and insight
-self-awareness, understanding, and insight are achieved by delving into our feelings of grief, anger, pain, fear, joy and ecstasy
- our feelings and emotions are an energy source that can be channeled into the arts to be released and transformed
- the expressive arts lead us into the unconscious and find new facets of ourselves
-one art form stimulates and nurtures the other, bringing us to an inner core or essence that is our life energy
-a connection exists between our life force (inner core/soul), and the essence of all beings
-as we journey toward discovering our essence, we discover our relatedness to the outer world, to have inner and outer become one
conditions to foster creativity
acceptance of the individual
nonjudgemental setting
empathy
psychological freedom
availability of stimulating and challenging experiences
multicultural strengths of person-centered therapy
had a huge impact on the field of human relations with diverse cultural groups
studied across countries
the core conditions allow there to be a great openness to multiple cultures and experiences
therapist does not assume and adjusts therapy according to client
shortcomings from diversity perspective
clients that want more structure than what is provided
it is difficult to translate the core therapeutic conditions into actual practice with certain cultures (clients who can’t deal with direct expressions of empathy)
focuses o an internal locus of evaluation (people from collectivist cultures may have difficultly exploring individualistic perspective/autonomy)
