Carl Rogers
Person-Centered
Humanistic & Existential
1902-1987
Rogers (1959) Maintains that
the human “organism” has the
underlying actualizing
tendency, which aims to
develop all capacities in ways
that maintain or enhance the
organism toward autonomy
All creatures strive to make the very best
of their existence:
Weeds will grow through the
sidewalk
Saplings crack boulders, or animals
survive desert conditions or the
frozen north!
The course of ACTUALIZING creates
society and culture
Major ConceptsPeople are basically
good or healthy- or at the least not ill or bad!
● People are trustworthy
● Inherent drive for self-
● The self as a process,
actualization
● Personal power, solve
own problems
● Congruence &
incongruence, degree of
accuracy between
experience and self
picture
ever changing
● The Ideal of self (society)
vs. Real self
● Potential for selfunderstanding
The evolution Rogers’ PCT
Nondirective- focus on understanding the client
and communicating understanding
Client-centered- theoretical development of therapeutic
change
Person-centered- application to family, groups and
political activism as well as the
individual
Influences on the
development of PCT
Early theological training:
Otto Rank
-
creativity of individuals
Alfred Adler
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value of the individual and good
relationships
Abraham Maslow
-
self-actualization
Martin Buber
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“I-Thou”
Rollo May
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existentialism
PCT view of psychological development
Infancy - monitoring of pleasantness
of environment
Children - develop trust in their
reactions to the environment
Older children - develop a need for
positive regard from others
Teens/Adults - develop a sense of self
worth
Person-Centered Theory of Personality
 Conditions of worth - lead to incongruence
 Conditional regard - a sense of alienation
Psychological disturbance is related to the amount of
incongruence between individual experience and self
worth
● Congruent relationships - a sense of being heard and
understood
● Fully functioning person - provide positive regard to
others and receive it from others- a goal
● Psychological maturity - openness, creativity and
responsibility
The Fully Functioning
Person
The need for positive regard from others and
positive self-regard would match organism
evaluation and there would be congruence
between self and experience, with full
psychology adjustment as a result.
The ideal human condition is embodied in the
“fully functioning person” who is trusting in self,
expresses feelings freely, acts independently, is
creative and lives a rich live.
Carl Rogers, 1959
Goals of Person Centered
Therapy
Client determines the goal
More deeply understand various aspects of
oneself
Accepts oneself and others
More self-direction which leads to better
problem solving ability and less
defensiveness
Person Centered counselor…
• Acts as a facilitator, collaborator
• Unconditional positive regard and
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acceptance
Accurate empathetic understanding
Authentic responses to client
Provides necessary and sufficient
conditions for change
Listens and understands
Holistic counseling, valuing and
respecting
6 Necessary and sufficient
conditions for therapeutic
change
1. Psychological contact between two people
2. Client is incongruent
Therapist provides:
3. Congruence and genuineness
4. Unconditional positive regard or acceptance
5. Empathy
The client perceives:
6. Empathy and acceptance
EMPATHY
● Acquired Skill
● Listener loses distance
● Identification of feeling
“Hearing the Person”
● Accurate interpretation of
facial expressions and
vocal cues
● Responding accurately
● NOT sympathetic or fact
finding
● Four Part Process
● Tuning into your feelings
● Expressing your feelings
● Tuning into other’s feelings
● Responding with understanding
● Listen
● Verbal and non-verbal
cues
● Acknowledge
● YOU FEEL_______
● YOU SEEM_______
Feeling + Content
● Clarify
● Are you feeling--------?
● Can you tell me more?
● Can you give me an
example?
● Can you tell me how you
feel?
● I’m not sure I understand
● Check Out
● What you are saying
is______
● Let’s see if I understand
What the client experiences
in therapy
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Responsibility for self
The therapist’s empathy and
unconditional positive regard
which stimulates
The process of exploring oneself
which allows the client to
Experience oneself
Experience therapeutic change
Contributions
● Talking Therapy
● Concept of the importance of client
counselor relationship
● Genuineness, unconditional positive regard
and empathetic understanding
● Emotional focus of therapy, importance of
affect
● Active Listening technique
● Empathetic responses
Limitations
● Too simple, support without challenge
● Limited techniques of attending and Active
listening
● Ineffective skills leads a client “rambling”
● Not focused on problem- solving
● Not effective cross gender or culture
● Not all individuals have the ability for:
● Growth and self-actualization
● Awareness of subjective knowledge, intuition, gut feeling
● Questionable benefits of reflective listening
DVD
Person Centered
Counseling