Person Centred Approach

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Word count: 2549 Essay Title “Evaluate the claim that Person-Centred Therapy offers the therapist all that he/she will need to treat clients”. Introduction A Person Centred Approach is the application of humanistic psychology, philosophy and values. It was a reaction to the practitioner led schools of thought, psychoanalysis and behaviourism. I wish to evaluate the claims that a PCA offer all that he/she needs to treat clients and in this essay I will: 1) explore person-centred theory and its origins, mainly Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow 2) discuss the advantages and disadvantages of working with a person-centred approach 3) investigate and report on any criticisms of the person-centred approach 4) Outline my reflections whilst studying and practicing a PCA 5) Summary and Conclusions Origins and Theory Introduction to ‘Schools of Thought’ used in psychology and how a person centred approach was developed Psychology, the study of the mind, has its divisions in separate schools of thoughts. These schools of thought were divided into 3 main ‘schools of thought’. Psychoanalysis and is also known as the first force. This approach applies a more medical and psychiatric practice for those people who have mental/emotional issues. The idea was based on personality being inherited factors as well as conditioning from early childhood experiences. It was conceived and developed by Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) who taught other psychologists such as, Jung, Adler and Reich who then went onto develop psychotherapy in different directions. (http://psychology.about.com/od/historyofpsychology/a/psychistory_3.htm) Behavioural psychology or behaviourism which is based on an approach to the way a person may behave in their environment, or observable behaviour. This is known as the second force. Writers such as Pavlov
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