Conceptualization and Treatment Plan 1.pdf

Running head: CONCEPT AND TREATMENT 1

Conceptualization and Treatment Plan 1

Jeannine Watts

Liberty University

CONCEPT AND TREATMENT 2

Abstract

Person-centered therapy was developed by Carl Rogers in the late 1940s. Gendlin (1988)

is world famous for initiating and advancing the now predominant humanistic movement in

psychotherapy, revolutionary in research, and motivating all fields related to psychology. Person-

centered therapy was one of the controversial and innovative approaches to therapy back then

and still today. Person-centered therapy originated as client-centered therapy and was also

Butman (2011) suggest that when combined with Christian teachings the personal values

established by Rogers and endorsed by psychotherapy research have much to offer the Christian

counselor who seeks to offer the love of God to the individuals they counsel.

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Developer of Person-Centered Therapy

The founder of person-centered therapy is Carl Rogers. In the 1940s he discovered that

using a more empathic approach motivates the individual toward finding solutions on their own

with the assistance of the counselor. When he first began school he majored in agriculture. He

grew up on a farm so it was a natural progression for him to study agriculture. Birtchnell (1999)

wrote that when Rogers was still in school he had to get up at five in the morning to milk the

cows before school. He eventually changed his major to Theology and then again changed to

Psychology. He worked as a child psychologist When Carl Rogers was around 38 years old he

available.

Human Nature and the Counseling Process

Carl Rogers person- centered therapy originally called client-centered therapy and

sometimes referred to as Rogerian therapy is based on the belief that every individual wants to

and has the capability to carry out their own potential. Gendlin (1988) wrote that Roger’s found

that every individual makes inner sense and that logic evolves and corrects itself as it becomes

stronger. Roger’s believed that the therapist should become more non-directive, empathic and

follow the lead of the individual they are counseling at the time. Gendlin (1988) quoted Carl

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Rogers, “I didn’t want to find a client-centered way. I wanted to find a way to help people.”

There are three conditions of person-centered therapy; unconditional positive regard, empathy

and congruence. Jones and Butman (2011) stated that the major task of the counselor is to offer

an environment of security and trust, one that will inspire individuals to reintegrate their self-

Research

practice in the field of psychology. Carl Rogers went on to apply person-centered therapy to

education and to politics. Gendlin (1988) stated in Roger’s last 15 years of his career he practiced

his methods with politicians, policy-makers in training, leaders and groups that were in

after fifty years of thorough research very few clinicians question that the conditions of

congruence, empathy and positive regard are necessary to create successful change. The

argument continues to be over whether the conditions are enough to create lasting change (Jones

and Butman, 2011). Jones and Butman (2011) stated that over forty of Elliot’s one hundred

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research studies in 2002 were of person-centered therapies and returned a large impact size of

eighty percent and found that improvements made in counseling were retained in the one-year

check- ups.

Effectiveness of Person-Centered Therapy

So, we know that person-centered therapy is effective in education and politics because

of Roger’s work in those areas. There is considerable work on using person-centered therapy for

individuals with depression in the UK. Wilkins (2009) explains that “Counseling for Depression”

flourishing as an individual, continually moving towards an ability to adapt and move with or

absorb change and to achieve one’s potential.

Person-centered therapy is the best choice of therapy to use with Olivia Benson. She has

struggled most of her life with the idea that she is the result of her mother being raped by a man

that she didn’t even know. This fact has made her the determined and thorough police officer that

she is today, but it has also been the catalyst for her bouts of deep depression and low self-

esteem. She is very successful in her career and the raising of her adopted son, but still struggles

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unsuccessful in her relationships with men in her life most likely because she did not have a

father figure in her life that provided her with the safety and security that she believes should

come form a father. Instead she has spent most of her life terrified of her father and resented her

mother because of her alcoholism and emotional and verbal abuse. She loved her mother very

treatment of depression and for complications in relationships. Depression and complicated

relationships is where Olivia may need some assistance with in her counseling sessions.

Ethical Issues

There may be ethical issues when working with individuals that are responsible for the

should always be prepared for any unforeseen situations. I understand that if for any reason we

come to a point in therapy where I as the counselor see that person-centered therapy may not be

working for Olivia, I would need to move on to other techniques and therapies that may be better

suited for her. Just like styles of learning there are going to be therapies that best fit the client.

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Grant (1990) stated that some individual’s learning style may not be well-suited with

nondirectiveness, which is the essence of person-centered therapy. It would be unethical of me as

a counselor to continue to pursue a technique or therapy that may not be working for this

particular client.

There have been concerns over the years to as whether person-centered therapy is mult-

culturally based or not. Wilkins (2009) explains that some researchers and professionals are

PCT is appropriate for all cultures. As a counselor it will be my responsibility to learn of Olivia’s

culture so I can assist her in her journey towards whole health.

Person-centered therapy can work well in a crisis situation. Person-centered therapy is

based on the relationship between the counselor and the client. Empathy plays a major role in

client-centered therapy and empathy is also important when it comes to crisis. The three major

components of person-centered therapy are empathy, congruence and unconditional positive

regard. Jones and Butman (2011) explain that Roger’s believed that these three components will

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greater self-actualization. Jones and Butman (2011) went on to say that the major job for the

counselor is to provide an atmosphere of security and trust, that will encourage the individual to

reintegrate their self-reliance, self-trust and raise their self-esteem in the process. These

conditions of person-centered therapy are ideal conditions for an individual in crisis.

Olivia is the result of her father raping her mother. Her mother was an alcoholic and the

relationship between Olivia and her mother was volatile at times and her mother has since passed

Empathy

Jones and Butman (2011) explain that empathy should not be confused with sympathy, it

is the counselor’s ability to experience with the client and accept the individual’s subjective inner

world. It is not about necessarily agreeing with the client but being able to see the individual’s

perspective. This is why building a relationship with the client is of the utmost importance when

it comes to person-centered therapy. Knowing the individuals story is not enough. For me as a

counselor to comprehend the magnitude of my client’s struggle I must understand the dynamics

of their inner world; how their environment, circumstances, family and experiences have created

their unique perception of themselves and their interaction with the world. A person-centered

counselor must be willing to be rooted in the practice of empathy with each of their individual

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take time to learn about her and allowing her to unpack her past and present to understand her

perception of herself and life before I may be able to guide her towards a more positive regard

for her own self-worth.

Unconditional positive regard

Jones and Butman (2011) describe unconditional positive regard as an immovable

recognition of, value for and accepting of the client’s experience, actualizing tendencies and

organism valuing method. Unconditional positive regard (UPR) means that no matter what the

who has abused their spouse. Wilkins (2009) describes UPR as the facilitator of constructive

change and explains it as the revolutionary feature of the person-centered counseling. Olivia will

pick up on any judgmental looks or remarks. Because of her job as a detective she probably

Congruence

Congruence is more about the counselor and whether or not they are truly in tune with

their own self, their inner self. Jones and Butman (2011) states that congruence is having the