person centered psychotherapy Flashcards
explain how it started
Phenomenological (focusing on subjective experiences of client) therapy founded by Carl Rogers, giving mom feedback (child is reacting to all these problems because of things you are doing, and the mom said she is never coming back and stormed back, he called her back and asked what happened, she said she felt like she was being blamed and she talked more about her experience), he realized when he was listening to her he was able to empathize with her more and hear her narrative rather than focusing on the past (big part of person centered is empathy and active listening), Rogers is one of the first to record sessions and quantify them, emphasizes freedom choice values growth creativity and spontaneity
view of human nature
At their core, humans are trustworthy and positive
- No one is born sociopath
- Life experiences and society impact human nature and our identities
Humans are capable of making changes and living productive, effective lives
Humans innately gravitate toward self-actualization
- We naturally want to do better, why humans come into therapy
- Actualizing tendency
what happens given the right growth fostering conditions
individuals strive to move forward and fulfill their creative nature
- We have to give people supportive environment and relationship where they can grow and not be judged
- Psychopathology occurs when people are prevented from being who they truly are, and prevented from being given the spaces and relationships to grow and change
what does this therapy draw on
Draws on Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs (you need food shelter etc., and all of this leads to a purpose, what might be impeding client from achieving meaning and self-actualization
what does person centered therapy challene
-The assumption that “the counselor knows best”
-The validity of advice, suggestion, persuasion, teaching, diagnosis,
and interpretation
-The belief that clients cannot understand and resolve their own problems without direct help
-The focus on problems over persons
explain diagnosing in person centered
Someone following person centered will not diagnose, clients are teachers and therapists have to listen, you cannot give advice because they are the ones living their lives
-Ex. A straight therapist cannot tell gay client to come out to therapist
explain moving away from advice
You are moving away from advice and putting everything back on client, what can they do, they have the power to make the changes, through the questioning and processing you are getting them to start thinking about what fits for them and what they are capable of doing
focus on people over problems?
Focusing on who person is and trying to understand people
does person centered help with disorders
Does not necessarily show to help with disorders in research, but the non-judgmental aspect of this therapy has been shown to be necessary (people terminate when they feel like they are being judged)
what does person centered emphasize
- Therapy as a journey shared by two fallible people
- People make mistakes, you have to be as authentic as the client, cannot hide behind the fact you have a degree, you have to be able to make mistakes
The person’s innate striving for self-actualization
The personal characteristics of the therapist and the quality of the therapeutic relationship
The counselor’s creation of a permissive, “growth-promoting” climate
People are capable of self-directed growth if involved in a therapeutic relationship
explain congruence
- Genuineness or realness in the therapy session
- Therapist’s behaviors match his or her words
- Authenticity, you are able to authentically and genuinely match what you are saying with what you are doing
- People come into treatment because they are incongruent
explain unconditional positive regard
- Acceptance and genuine caring about the client as a valuable person
- Accepting clients as they presently are
- Therapist need not approve of all client behavior
Not that you have to like every client, but you have to accept every client
Ex. People say sex offenders are the hardest clients to work with, you do not have to agree with what they did, but can you accept them, not setting any conditions to the therapeutic relationship and are invested in the person and their growth
Ex. There is a misunderstanding that Islam is oppressive to women, but we do not know that Pakistan had a female leader in 1980s and she was Oxford educated (came from high political family), we think the US is so free but there are other places that have more women in positions in power than we have
-When we say this is oppressive, we are putting our stuff onto the client
what else does person centered emphasize other than congruence and unconditional positive regard
Accurate empathic understanding
- The ability to deeply grasp the client’s subjective world
- Helper attitudes are more important than knowledge
- The therapist need not experience the situation to develop an understanding of it from the client’s perspective
what are the 6 necessary and sufficient conditions for change
- Two persons are in psychological contact
- People come into therapy - The first, the client, is experiencing incongruence
- They do not feel authentic, or things are fitting for them in their lives - The second person, the therapist, is congruent or integrated in the relationship
- Have to try and be authentic, really tap into what is happening for you with your feelings and emotions - The therapist experiences unconditional positive regard or real caring for the client
- You are not going to like every client and there is not an expectation to do this, but you have to understand why you do not like clients - The therapist experiences empathy for the client’s internal frame of reference and endeavors to communicate this to the client
- The communication to the client is, to a minimal degree, achieved
- there is something validating about hearing someone else say that you are right, the feelings you are feeling are warranted
what does the therapist do in person centered therapy
- Focuses on the quality of the therapeutic relationship
- Uses therapeutic alliance to foster therapy
Provides a supportive therapeutic environment in which the client is the agent of change and healing
-Learn the real reason why they are coming into the therapy when they start to feel comfortable
Serves as a model of a human being struggling toward greater realness
Is genuine, integrated, and authentic, without a false front
Can openly express feelings and attitudes that are present in the relationship with the client
-Showing you will be there for the client no matter what, even if you both struggle with something you will get through it together
Is invested in developing his or her own life experiences to deepen self- knowledge and move toward self-actualization
