Person-Centered Therapy/Theory

 

 

Founder: Carl Rogers (1902-1987)

 

(Wyett-Simmonds)

 

Key Concepts: Once again we look at the view of human nature (just like existentialist), focusing on the client's growth toward adjustment and moving away from maladjustment. Rogers maintained the three therapist attributes to this growth include; congruence (genuineness, or realness), unconditional positive regard (acceptance and caring), and accurate empathic understanding (an ability to deeply grasp the subjective world of another person) (Corey, 2009).  Here the emphasis is on the clients world and how he deals with the challenges in his life. Abraham Maslows self actualizing studies helped shape Rogers look at self-reflection and self-awareness (Corey,2009). For further information on Abraham Maslow see http://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html. 

Therapeutic Goals: Most people come to therapy for someone to fix them and their problems, but person-centered therapy focuses on the person not on the problems.  The underlying aim of therapy is to provide a climate conductive to helping the individual strive toward self-actualization (Corey, 2009). Rogers, 1961 (as cited by Corey, 2009) states that when people become increasingly actualized as having these attributes; an openness to experience, a trust in themselves, an internal source of evaluation, and a willingness to continue growing.  Through unconditional positive regard (genuinely caring for the client) and having deep empathy the therapist can build a relationship that is trusting and safe.  Though this relationship between therapist and client are important the therapist never gives off the role of expert or being over them or better then them (being judgemental).  Rogers, 1961 (as cited by Corey, 2009) also says that research done on person-centered therapy seems to indicate that the attitude of therapists, rather than their knowledge, theories, or techniques facilitate personality change in the client. 

Expansions on Person-centered Therapy: Natalie Rogers expanded on her fathers theories with Expressive Art Therapy.  Rogers, 1993 (as cited by Corey, 2009) included these principles...

• All people have an innate ability to be creative
• The creative process is transformative and healing. The healing aspects involve activities such as meditation, movement, art, music, and journal writing.
• Personal growth and higher states of consciousness are achieved through self-awareness, self-understanding, and insight.
• Self-awareness, understanding, and insight are achieved by delving into our feelings of grief, anger, pain, fear, joy and ecstasy.
• Our feelings and emotions are an energy source that can be channeled into the expressive arts to be released and transformed.
• The expressive arts lead us into the unconscious, thereby enabling us to express previously unknown facets of ourselves and bring to light new information and awareness.
• One art from stimulates and nurtures the other, bringing us to an inner core or essence that is our life energy.
• A connection exists between our life force-- our inner core, or soul--and the essence of all beings.
• As we journey inward to discover our essence or wholeness, we discover our relatedness to the outer world, and the inner and outer become one.

Here is her website for further information, http://www.nrogers.com/.

Motivational Interviewing (MI)- In the early 1980's William R. Miller and Stephen Rollnick developed a counseling approach that was humanistic, client-centered, psychosocial, and directive based of Rogers Person-centered theories (Corey, 2009). Expanding on Person-centered MI uses a directive approach versus the non-directive in Rogers therapy. Counselors will use open-ended questions, employing reflective listening, affirming and supporting the client, responding to resistance in nonconfrontaional manner, guiding a discussion of ambivalence, summarizing and linking at the end of sessions, and eliciting and reinforcing change talk (Corey, 2009). According to Corey 2009, the five following stages that people go through during counseling include...

1. Precontemplation stage=no intention of changing a behavior pattern in the near future.
2. Contemplation stage=people are aware of problem and are considering overcoming it, but have not yet made a commitment to take action to bring about change.
3. Preparation stage-=individuals intend to take action immediately and report some small behavioral changes.
4. Action stage=individuals are taking steps to modify their behavior to solve their problems.
5. Maintenance stage=people work to consolidate their gains and prevent relapse.

The following link has further information on Motivational Interviewing, http://www.motivationalinterview.org/index.html.

Key Terms: Actualizing tendency, therapeutic core conditions, unconditional positive regard, empathy, accurate empathic understanding, presence, immediacy, motivational interviewing (MI)

I've included a series from YouTube with Carl Rogers using his person-centered therapy with his client Gloria. Containing five parts it is very informational, if you have time check it out.

(Batchilder, 2010)

 



Resources

 

Corey, G. (2013). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy. (9 ed., pp. 137-171). Belmont, CA: BROOKS/COLE CENGAGE Learning.

 

 

Batchilder, R. (2010). The great carl rogers - person centred therapy [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjTpEL8acfo 

 

 

Wyett-Simmonds, M. (Photographer). (n.d.). Carl rogers. [Print Photo]. Retrieved from http://person-centred.co.uk/ 

Existential Therapy/Theory

 

 (Mori, 2012)

 (Levine,2013)

 

 

Contemporary Founders: Victor Frankl (1905-1995), Rollo May (1909-1994), Irvin Yalom (born 1931)

 

 

Key Concepts: The View of Human Nature from an existential therapist is more of a way of thought that therapist and counselors can use in their daily life and work.  Existential thinkers concentrate on six dimensions of the human condition which include 1) self-awareness, 2) freedom and responsibility, 3) discovering one's identity and establishing meaningful relationships with others, 4) the search for meaning, purpose, values, and goals, 5) anxiety is normal and a daily part of life, and 6) awareness of death and non being (Corey, 2009).
 

Goals of Therapy: The main goal is to teach clients that they have choices over their life no matter the situation. Exploring themes like mortality, meaning, freedom, responsibility, anxiety, and being alone in a persons current life (Corey,2009).  Helping clients realize they are not living authentic lives and helping them realize their meaning in this world.  Schneider and Krug 2010 (as cited by Corey, 2009) identify four essential aims of existential-humanistic therapy; helping clients become more present to both themselves and others, to assist clients in identifying ways they block themselves from fuller presence, to challenge clients to assume responsibility for designing their present lives, and to encourage clients to choose more expanded ways of being in their daily lives.

 

Key Terms: Existential analysis, logotherapy, existential tradition, inauthenticity, freedom, existential guilt, authenticity, existential vacuum, existential anxiety, normal anxiety, neurotic anxiety, restricted existence.

 

Existential therapy places central prominence on the person-to-person relationship. Assuming that clients grow through this genuine encounter. It is not the techniques a therapist uses that make a therapeutic difference; rather, it is the quality of the client-therapist relationship that heals. It is essential that therapists reach sufficient depth and openness in their own lives to allow them to venture into their clients' subjective world without losing their own sense of identity. Presence is both a condition for therapy to occur and a goal of therapy (Corey,2009).

 Justin Rock explains existential therapy very nicely in the following video...

 

(Rock, 2011)

 

Resources

Corey, G. (2009). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy. (9 ed., pp. 137-171).            Belmont, CA: BROOKS/COLE CENGAGE Learning.

 

Levine, K. (Photographer). (2013). http://emotionalfitnesstraining.com/2013/01/31/the-choice-is-yours-always-2/. [Web Graphic]. Retrieved from http://emotionalfitnesstraining.com/2013/01/31/the-choice-is-yours-always-2
 

Mori, D. (Artist). (2012). Culminating choices. [Print Graphic]. Retrieved from http://lifewithoutnovacaine.blogspot.com/2012/08/culminating-choices.html

 

 

Rock, J. (2011, March 29). What is existential therapy? - portland grief and loss existential therapist justin . Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLhqj878k4Q

 

 

 

 

 

Adlerian Theory

Adlerian Theory

 

 

Founder: Alfred Adler (1870-1937)

 

Key Concepts: Adler believed that humans are motivated primarily by social relatedness rather than by sexual urges. His therapy was goal directed and the consciousness more than unconsciousness was the main focus. Adler stressed choice and responsibility, meaning in life, and striving for success, completion, and perfection.

 

Goals of Therapy: Client and Counselor relationship empathized in mutual respect. A lifestyle assessment or holistic psychological investigation is done to disclose mistaken goals and faulty assumptions within the client's style of living. Developing a client's sense of belonging and to assist in the adoption of behaviors and process characterized by community feeling and social interest is the main goal of Adlerian therapy.

Educational process of therapy include:

• Fostering social interest
• Helping clients overcome feelings of discouragement and inferiority
• Modifying clients' views and goals- changing lifestyle
• Changing faulty motivation
• Encouraging the individual to recognize equality among people
• Helping people to become contributing members of society
 

Key Terms:  Birth order, sibling relationships, phenomenological, individual psychology, fictional finalism, life-style, social interest, community feeling

 

Four Phases of the therapeutic process:

• Establish the proper therapeutic relationship- caring, involvement, and friendship with client
• Explore the psychological dynamics operating in the client- life-style assessment, the social and cultural context
• Encourage self-understanding and insight after reviewing the life-style assessment
• Reorientation and Reeducation- action oriented phase putting insights into practice

The following video sums up Adlerian Therapy nicely....

 



 

 

 



 

Psychoanalytic Theory

 

Psychoanalytic Theory

 

 



 

Founder: Sigmund Freud is the founding father (1856-1939) while Erik Erikson (1963) built on Freud's ideas beyond early childhood. Erikson claimed that psychosocial growth and psychosexual growth take place together.

 

Goals of Therapy: Two therapeutic goals were to make the unconscious conscious and to build on the egos strength so that the behavior is based more on reality and less on guilt and instinctual cravings.





 

Key Terms: Repression, sexuality, self, dream interpretations, transference, the unconscious, Id, ego, superego, Oedipus complex

 

Six Basic Techniques include:

• maintaining analytic framework-anonymity, neutrality, and objectivity etc....
• free association-saying whatever comes to mind
• interpretation-explaining & teaching client meanings of behavior
• dream analysis- uncovering unconscious material from dreams
• analysis of resistance- works against the progress of therapy
• analysis of transference-client's unconscious shifting to the analyst of feelings and fantasies that are reactions to significant others in the client's past 

The following video does a great job explaining psychoanalytic therapy.