Process Report of a Client Centred Therapy Session Reflection and Literature Review "It is that the individual has within himself or herself vast resources for self-understanding, for altering his or her self-concept, attitudes and self-directed behavior - and that these resources can be tapped if only a definable climate of facilitative psychological attitudes can be provided." (Rogers, 1986, cited in The Carl Rogers Reader by Kirschenbaum & Henderson, 1989, p.135) This process report is an assignment for the Humanistic Approach module required as evidence that students have acquired the skills and understood how to work with clients from a humanistic perspective. The humanistic approach evolved in the United States in 1950s and it was proposed by Carl Rogers who proposed that “therapy could be simpler,
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.
Describe how the cognitive approach has been applied to RET The cognitive approach believes that we are information processors. Our thinking and the way we process and interpret events can affect our behaviour particularly our mood. Therefore rational emotional therapy is linked to the approach because its attempts to change the way an individual interprets and thinks about certain events. Ret was devised by albert ellis in the 1950’s. it tries to tackle mustabatory thinking (the thinking that you must be good at everything and like by everyone) by trying to make the patient think more rationally about situations.
Q1) Self Awareness is “having a clear perception of your personality, including strengths, weaknesses, thoughts, beliefs, motivation, and emotions.” (Anonymous, “Self Awareness: creating happiness…,"2012) At a heightened level, helps the helper to develop insight as a tool of self-regulation in dealing with the “open and intimate” disclosures that would be a feature in the therapeutic relationships between the client and helper. Martin, A. (2010) As we examine the effectiveness of counter-transference the key point is to look at the impact of it on the helper and client which Gale Cengage states aptly: “this concept is used in two different ways: on the one hand, as a defensive position on the part of the analyst, who must take care to remain as much as possible a projective surface, a mirror, for the patient's transference, and on the other, as a position in which the personality of the analyst, most notably his or her emotions, is engaged in the transferential/counter-transferential dynamic on the basis of a more three-dimensional conception of the transference.”(Cengage, 2005) I concur with what Cengage stated above and would like to bring the co-relation between “Self Awareness” and “Counter-transference” relates back to the effectiveness of the Helping relationship. They can both enhance or hinder the helping process which I would put as ‘equal slices of the same cake’ rather than ‘different sides of the same coin’ since the whole idea is to get these two processes to work in tandem rather than against each other. The usefulness of “Counter-transference” is often diluted by the prominent definition of it triggers the counselor’s personal emotive responses when the client relates issues that the counselor himself struggles to deal with making it difficult for the counselor to retain neutrality.
The therapist experiences unconditional positive regard for the client The therapist accepts the person as they are, puts no condition on valuing them, separates the behaviour from the person. When they know they are not being judged, it allows the client to think perhaps they do not have to judge themselves (Rogers, 1975?) 5. The therapist experiences an empathic understanding of the client’s frame of reference and communicates this experience to the client When the client is empathically heard, they get greater understanding of themselves. (Rogers, 1979) 6.
This approach encompasses the view that people are trustworthy, are unique as individuals and have their own realities. These realities are determined by perceptions and personal experience both past and present; however emphasis is placed on the conscious processes in the present. This approach allows the person to be their own expert on themselves; they understand their perceptions and reactions to experiences and attribute personal significant meaning to those experiences. This approach believes that this self actualisation will occur under the correct conditions, and once this is achieved then this tendency to actualise will allow the individual to grow and solve their own issues. The theoretical principles that define the Psychodynamic counselling approach centres on the relationship between the counsellor and the client.
Central to the therapist's role in client-centred therapy is respecting the clients values as well as maintaining a therapeutic nonjudgmental attitude. This relationship can be even be more important, especially if the client doesn't have any family or friends. Because most clients seems to have lost a sense of value within themselves, having someone perceive them as a valuable person, capable of personal growth, should have an encouraging affect. The goals of the client-centered therapist are congruence, unconditional
Second the therapist must convey unconditional positive regard for the client, this means that the therapist accepts everything the client say without passing judgment on the client. Clients trust that the therapist will not reject them if they say the wrong thing or if something critical comes out in the course of therapy. The atmosphere is safe for clients to begin exploring their distress. The third condition for the therapeutic progress is empathic understating. The client must feel that the therapist understands him or her.
It might be used on a client who has an authoritarian role at work but might not feel they are in control of their life at home. A permissive induction is a soft approach and makes the client feel safe, secure and not pressured. It’s not telling them to do something it is letting them feel like they are in control and that they can do it in their own time. A permissive screed is nurturing and also lets the client be imaginative. When using a permissive induction the therapist can use lots of metaphors, and as long as the client feels safe you can be a little authoritative too.
Roger’s development of the person centered therapy was inspired by the students of Otto such as Taft (1933). Thorne and Mearns (2007) argue that Rennie (1998) believed that the person centered therapist may be able to offer a route of direction without being directive. Sanders (2002)argues that Rogers believed that all individuals have the ability to be good, rational and trust worthy which enables them to move in positive directions. Likewise Schnieder and Krug (2010) explain that Wiheilm (1933) believed that all people were essentially good, had healthy core, self and character analysis which was the mythological and archetypal of Gustave Jung. All these humanistic psychologists did researches on freedom , values, tragedy, human potential, spirituality, personal responsibility and agreed people were naturally good.