Compare and Contrast Different Counselling Techniques

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Compare and contrast the different ways the person-centred and cognitive-behavioural approaches to counselling understand and make use of the counselling relationship. Counselling has been an appropriate form of assistance for a variety of individuals (McLeod, 2008). Karasu (1986) identified over 400 models to counselling (cited in McLeod 2008, p17), each approach is different in the way it emphasizes particular features of human behaviour. A Counsellor's therapeutic skills are often adapted to the individual's needs or how the individual is portrayed, (McLeod, 2008). This essay will explore person-centred and cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) respectively, it will then discuss some of the ways in which each therapy differs from the other and it will also highlight any parallels. Firstly, the Person-centred approach has been known by many different terms such as client-centred, non-directive and Rogerian, after the founder Carl Rogers (McLeod, 2008). The aim of person-centred counselling is to promote the clients into solving his or her own difficulties, whilst the counsellor takes a non-directive role. This approach to counselling believes that the client is the best authority on his or her own experiences but can only act upon them under the right conditions, (McLeod, 2008). Rogers discovered that for an individual to be able to express themselves fully and to experience therapeutic change, three 'core conditions' must be established within the counselling environment, (McLeod, 2008). These core conditions are unconditional positive regard, empathic understanding and congruence. Unconditional positive regard relates to the counsellor's non-judgemental acceptance of client. The client must be able to express him or herself freely without fear of rejection or a negative response. Empathic understanding from the counsellor demonstrates to the client an
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