Additionally, developing self-awareness helps the client to rediscover meaning in life. Some clients will, however, need a more structured therapy than is typical in a humanistic person-centered approach. One of the strengths of using a humanistic/person-centered approach when working with clients is the warmth and caring of the relationship that (hopefully) develops between counsellor and client. The counsellors active listening and full emotional availability will provide them with a healing environment within which they can explore their emotional experiences safely and without judgment. Central to the therapist's role in client-centred therapy is respecting the clients values as well as maintaining a therapeutic nonjudgmental attitude.
This is the ability to be you without pretence or façade. This is also called genuineness; it is the most important attribute in counselling according to Rogers, in this the counsellor is keen to allow the client to experience them as they really are, the therapist being authentic. Unconditional Positive Regard: (UPR) this is a non-judgemental, Respecting and accepting the other person as they are, Rogers believed that for people to grow and fulfil their potential it is important that they are valued as themselves. The counsellor has a genuine regard for the client, they may not approve of some of the client’s actions, but the therapist does approve of the client. The therapist needs an attitude of “I’ll accept you as you are.” The therapist must always maintain a positive attitude to the client at all times.
Because of the unique client counsellor relationship it is easy for them to be taken advantage of. This makes imperative the therapists be ethically aware of the power of their role. “Fidelity, honoring the trust placed in the practitioner.” Ref: “Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling & Psychotherapy.”
A counselor can be honest and disclose parts of her life that can be beneficial to the client, should be used only in discretion, and should never confess or vent her own feelings to the client; this would not be therapeutic to the client and may cause more problems. Warmth is a deep process, to allow the client to be one with the counselor, and emotional bond when the client is feeling lost and alone. Just knowing that someone cares how they feel and what they feel. A smile or a touch with another human being is very strong therapy for the client. Immediacy, I would say is best described as being totally involved with the client getting to know the client as himself, and how he is feeling at the moment, instead of reliving the past.
For example it might be helpful to be a nurturing parent, who is responsive and reliable, and work to create the space for a cooperative relationship. I would be accessible for them in terms of giving feedback, and even appropriate affect and disclosure. I try to be sensitive to their feelings and, if appropriate, to not hide my fallibility. I mirror to them feeling positive about being with them. “A primary task in psychotherapy and counselling is the creation of a secure base in the reliability and consistency of the therapeutic relationship.
We covered the difference between formal/informal counseling and how formal refers to exactly what is says. It’s usually a more “professional” setting with a contract between client and counsellor, it’s appropriate to boundaries and confidentiality agreed, its time limited and target setting and the counsellor will have the correct qualifications/supervisory body required for the service provided. Informal again is what it says, and can be done anywhere with anyone and quite often done unconsciously by the listener with the use of a counselling approach and does not require the confidentiality and privacy implemented in the formal counselling. Core skills and conditions were covered and how they come into play in both
Authors Brian Taber and Todd Leibert found during the course of their study that any sort of congruence between the therapist and the client is clearly associated with the bond that the two parties make at a very early stage in the therapeutic stages. The two were also quick to point out that this same congruence leads to a certain feel of validation by the clients toward their therapists. An important thing to keep in mind is that the study included individuals (both client and therapist) who were primarily social type personalities. As with any relationship, the closeness in personality will lend itself to more of an easy transition into trust and/or
(Rogers, 1979) 6. The communication to the client of the therapist’s empathic understanding and unconditional positive regard are to some degree achieved PCT emphasises the relationship between the counsellor and the client. For PCT to be effective, the client must be aware, to some level, of the existence of the therapist’s empathy and unconditional positive regard for the client. If not, they do not exist in the relationship for client and so change cannot occur in therapy (Rogers,
This essay is going to examine the key personal skills that are essential for the delivery of a successful and effective counselling session. I suggest three of the most important qualities to possess within a counselling relationship are trust, empathy and confidentiality without which, the counselling relationship would not survive beyond the first hurdle. I am going to therefore explore the key signs of an empathic understanding and the positive impact this can have on the client's wellbeing. I will then outline the hurdles that need to be overcome overcome to deliver a session effectively with specific focus on my own prejudices and communication barriers. In addition I am going to explore how the client might feel in a session and the blocks, fears and uncertainties they may encounter.
In conclusion we will see why it could be argued that the latter approach is the most useful for many clients. The term counselling is virtually interchangeable with psychotherapy. Psychotherapy means ‘healing the mind or soul’ (Nelson-Jones, 2011, p.3) and counselling tries to do the same. For counselling to work on a one to one or group basis then the clients must be there willingly. For many the relationship between client and counsellor is crucial to the success of the therapy and is based on trust and respect.