Client-Centered Therapy

Client Centered Therapy

Humanistic psychology emerged in the early 1940s, and was the first psychological theory to focus largely on human emotions and free will. This theory stresses the uniqueness of an individual's thoughts and choices. Prior to humanism's rise to popularity, the majority of psychological researchers bought into the ideas behind behaviorism or psychoanalysis. From a clinical standpoint, humanistic theory-based therapy has shown to be very effective in helping people come to terms with their mental health issues. For example, humanism aims to eliminate some of the stigma attached to undergoing mental health treatment, and it allows clients to feel much more comfortable with their conditions and their decisions to seek treatment. One of the most well-known and widely used approaches to therapy today is client-centered therapy, which is based largely on humanistic ideals.

Carl Rogers is considered to be the father of psychotherapy, and he brought about the idea of client-centered therapy. It was his belief that therapists must be very empathetic and understanding when listening to clients speak about their issues. Successful execution of this approach should result in the client feeling normal, accepted, and free from judgments and criticisms. Unlike in other therapeutic approaches, therapists who engage in client-centered therapy tend not to ask very many questions. It is their mission to encourage clients to speak for themselves, tell their own stories, and determine their own solutions to their problems. In other words, client-centered therapy is a very standoffish approach which doesn't require therapists to offer much input. Clinicians around the world engage in this type of therapy every day, regardless of their personal opinions regarding its effectiveness.

Before we can fully understand the reasons behind client-based therapy, it's important to address a few of the main ideas regarding humanism. While studying both behaviorism and psychoanalysis in depth through both bachelors and doctoral level work, Carl Rogers noticed a consistent flaw in both theories. Psychoanalysis focuses solely on unconscious motivations that drive a person's behavior whereas behaviorism attributes someone's behavior entirely to his or her environmental influences. Neither theory, however, addresses an individual's personal choice. Rogers did not agree with this. It was his belief that personal choice plays a very large role in an individual's personality, thoughts, and behaviors.

Rogers was a firm believer that people are at least partially responsible for their decisions. While he never actually denied the concepts behind behaviorism and psychoanalysis, he introduced free choice as a third factor in the mix. Humanistic theory acknowledges that a person's personality results from a combination of environmental factors, cognitive factors, and personal decisions. In 1962, Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow formed the Association for Humanistic Psychology, which is a nonprofit association of followers of humanistic theory who research and discuss developments of human spirits, human dignity, and human freedom to create our own destinies.

As humanistic ideals became more widespread and popular in our culture, clinical psychologists began incorporating them into their therapeutic work. Critics of this approach believe that client-based therapy is too vague and subjective. It does give clients quite a bit of freedom for self-analysis, and some clinicians believe that we should not allow mentally unstable individuals to diagnose themselves and solve their own problems. Many critics question whether a therapist can actually establish a genuinely positive, friendly relationship with all of his or her clients, particularly the ones who are negative, violent, or difficult. In client-based therapy, it is essential that the therapist appears to honestly like and respect the client, as the therapist is expected to be encouraging and supportive throughout the entire process. This relationship, if attained properly, is referred to as unconditional positive regard.

One final criticism of client-centered therapy is that therapists are prone to bias. It is presumable that they may become more or less likely to give advice and guidance to specific clients to whom they better relate. In client-centered therapy, it is the therapist's duty to avoid giving advice and guidance at all costs. Rather, the client himself must take initiative and find solutions to his own problems. Critics argue that it's human nature to want to directly help everyone who is similar to us, close to us, or an overall likeable person. Because client-centered therapy is such an indirect approach, it could potentially be very difficult for therapists to fight their natural instincts to take the lead and point clients in the right direction.

According to Carl Rogers, client-centered therapy must include six crucial conditions: therapist-client psychological contact, client incongruence or vulnerability, therapist genuineness, therapist unconditional positive regard, therapist empathetic understanding, and client perception. Each of these six conditions is just as important as the next, and all six must be met in order for the therapy to work as effectively as possible.

Therapist-client psychological contact simply refers to the idea that the client is attending regular meetings with the therapist, and that they are having relevant conversations with one another. As with any type of therapy, regular attendance is necessary for success. Client vulnerability means that the client is malleable, and willing to consider various possibilities when it comes to treatments and outward behaviors. Therapy with stubborn, closed-minded patients tends to be far less effective, so flexibility and adaptability are key. Therapist genuineness refers solely to the way the therapist presents himself or herself. It is the therapist's responsibility to come across as honest, real, and believable. If he fails to do so, the client will be much less likely to work with him as a team and feel comfortable expressing his or her own feelings and opinions. Unconditional positive regard, which I touched briefly upon earlier, refers to the therapist's overall attitude towards a particular client. The therapist must try to view each client in an approving manner, and show them compassion, care, and patience. Similarly, therapist empathetic understanding refers to the therapist's ability to empathize with the

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