Psychotherapy replies
POST # 1 GINA
Carl Rogers has always been one of my personal favorites in the faces of psychology. My core beliefs are that most people have the answers inside of themselves, they just need more coaching than an authoritarian style to help them get to the bottom of what ails their psyche. The purpose of this discussion is to examine my thoughts on the person-centered approach to therapy, including any concerns, likes, or dislikes. I feel person-centered therapy is a great approach for clients that are looking to increase their potential for self-actualization, a client who is aware of the need for growth and change but needs some assistance getting to where they want to be. A therapist who is genuine has the ability to assist a client with communication that is reflective, but not leading or authoritative (Corey, 2018). Having an unconstitutional positive regard for the client and accepting them as they are can assist in drawing out a client’s true potential (Corey, 2018). The third core piece of person-centered therapy is to be authentic and have the ability to understand with empathy, not pity (Corey, 2018). When a therapist can identify with a client in an empathic way, it helps clients to see their true potential (Corey, 2018). Just having these core conditions as the basis of therapy whether in an individual situation or group therapy setting can bring about change (Velasquez & Montiel, 2018). By allowing an open dialogue with a client, the therapist can help in bringing about change and growth in my opinion. Velasquez & Montiel (2018) found in coding transcripts of person-centered therapy that words and phrases of empathy and congruence showed the highest positive regard for clients and helped moved clients toward growth, change, and increasing potential because clients spoke more about their feelings, felt heard, and needed less frequent sessions with the therapist. This type of “Rogerian” talk as it is coined in the literature, assists clients in making their own conclusions and moving toward self-actualization while treating them like a human, not the sum of their problems. While I associate my personal style with much of the person-centered approach, I do not believe that any type of therapy is a one size fits all. The therapist must take their cues from where the client is at. Everyone is not in a place to fulfill self-actualization with person-centered therapy. Corey (2018) talks about how person-centered therapy has been used in crisis intervention situations, but I think it is very open-ended for people in crisis. I can see the core values of authenticity and empathy coming into play, but often crisis situations involve the need for more direction of a situation. Obviously, this is case depended. In this way, I do not agree with person-centered therapy for clients in a psychiatric crisis, but the core principles can be applied to all people. I think person-centered therapy can be limited in terms of cultural perspectives. Kim (2018) discusses how the person-centered approach is a very Western cultural phenomenon. There are many non-Western cultures where people do not see themselves as independent, many Eastern, and Asian cultures see themselves as interdependent where loyalty and obedience are predominant (Kim, 2018). From a positive multicultural perspective, I believe all people want to be understood, and treated like humans, in this way the person-centered techniques can be an asset. References:
Corey, G. (2018). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy (10th ed.). Cengage.
Kim, J. (2018). Consideration of the applicability of person-centered therapy to culturally varying clients, focusing on the actualizing tendency and self-actualization—From East Asian perspective. Person-Centered and Experiential Psychotherapies, 17(3), 201–223. https://doi.org/10.1080/14779757.2018.1506817
Velasquez, P. A. E., & Montiel, C. J. (2018). Reapproaching Rogers: a discursive examination of client-centered therapy. Person-Centered & Experiential Psychotherapies, 17(3), 253–269. https://doi.org/10.1080/14779757.2018.1527243