● Person-centered therapy is a form of psychotherapy that was developed by humanist psychologist

Carl Rogers in the 1940s

● His Theories underwent several name changes. In the early years it was called “nondirective”.
Later, variations such as “Client -centered,” “Person-centered,” “Student centered,” “group
centered,” and “Person to person”.
● It is a non-directive therapy that emphasizes the client’s autonomy and self-determination in the th
erapeutic process
.
● go to slide
●
● To summarise Person centered therapy using If/then statements it would be:If the therapist is
congruent and communicates unconditional positive regard and accurate empathy to the client,
then the client will experience more self-acceptance, greater self-trust, and so on as therapeutic
change occurs.
●
Rogers divided the “concept of self” into two categories: the “real” self and the “ideal
” self, and believed that there needed to be a certain level of consistency between thes
e two concepts of self
1
.
● Rogers argued that people will always have a tendency to work towards being their id
eal self, but in order to do this they need the help and support of others
1
.
Rogers believed that every person could achieve their goals, wishes, and desires in lif
e, and that for a person to “grow”, they need an environment that provides them with

thd 3 core conditionsgenuineness, acceptance, and empathy

Person-centered therapy doesn’t use specific techniques
like other therapeutic approaches. Instead, it relies on three
core principles: unconditional positive regard, empathy, and
congruence
CONGRUENCE
● The therapist transparently conveys their feelings and thoughts to genuinely relate to the client. Within
the client-therapist relationship, the therapist is genuinely himself. The therapist does not hide behind
a professional façade or deceive the client (Yao, 2023)

● In the context of counseling, congruence refers to the counselor’s genuinenes

s and honesty, which are essential for building a therapeutic relationship with t
he client
2
. Self-disclosure is one of the most effective ways to display congruence 3.
However, it is important to note that self-disclosure should be used with good
judgement or sense and only when it can help facilitate the client’s growth 3.
 Unconditional Positive Regard
● Positive regard is the need to be liked, prized, or accepted by
another person. When this need exists without any conditions or
qualifications, unconditional positive regard occurs (Rogers,
1980).
● Therapists have unconditional positive regard when they are
“experiencing a warm, positive and accepting attitude toward what
is the client” (Rogers, 1961, p. 62).
Cont’d

● When the counselor provide their clients with unconditional positive regard, they do so
without any conditions or judgments, regardless of the clients' actions.
● It simply mean that the counselor cares for the client, but not in a possessive way or in
such a way to simply satisfy the therapist’s own needs...It means that the client is cared for
as a separate person, with permission to have his own feelings, his own experiences.
● All of us have biases and can't always fully separate our feelings and judgments. Also we
may be more appreciative of certain client actions than others, however positive regard
remains constant and unwavering..
● The practice of unconditional positive regard also prohibits therapists from judging
their clients, judgment makes clients defensive and inhibits psychological development.
● If a client brings up subjects that are socially taboo or controversial, the therapist, instead
of showing discomfort or avoidance, will provide a safe space for open dialogue and will
validate the client's experience. Attending skills - faciak
 Unconditional Positive Regard
Cont’d
● Regard - there is a close relationship and that the therapist sees the
client as an important person
● Positive - that the direction of the relationship is toward warm and
caring feelings
● Unconditional - the positive regard is no longer dependent on
specific client behaviors and does not have to be continually earned.
 Empathetic Listening
● Empathy exists when therapists accurately sense the feelings of
their clients and are able to communicate these perceptions so that
clients know that another person has entered their world of feelings
without prejudice, projection, or evaluation.
 The third necessary and sufficient condition of psychological growth is empathic listening

with empathic listening it is vital to listen carefully, enter the world of the client, and
communicate that we understand the client’s world as the client sees and
experiences it. So basically as a counsellor it is Putting yourself “in another person’s
shoes” or viewing the world “through someone else’s eyes and ears”. He used skill
such as paraphrase, reflection of meaning and
● You only listen and say back what the client have said. You never put into it; any
of your own ideas and never say anything that the person did not express. . . .
Empathy is effective because it enables clients to listen to themselves and, in effect, become
their own therapists
● Empathy should not be confused with sympathy
● The latter term suggests a feeling for a client, whereas empathy connotes a feeling with a
client. Sympathy is never therapeutic,
 Empathetic Listening Cont’d
● Client-centered therapists do not take empathy for granted;
they check the accuracy of their sensings by trying them out
on the client.
● Empathic listening is a powerful tool, which along with
genuineness and caring, facilitates personal growth within the
client.
 Empathetic Listening Cont’d
● Empathy does not mean that a therapist has the same feelings as the

client. You fo not get frustrated, angry or sad as the client is experiencing them . That would make the experience a bit weird

●
A therapist does not take ownership of a client’s experiences but is
able to convey to the client an understanding of what it means to be
the client at that particular moment (Rogers, 1961)
 Stages of Therapeutic Change
● Stage 1- is characterized by an unwillingness to communicate
anything about oneself.
● Stage 2- clients become slightly less rigid
● Stage 3- they more freely talk about self, although still as an
object.
The process of constructive personality change can be placed on a continuum from most defensive to
most integrated. Rogers

● People at this stage ordinarily do not seek help, but if for some reason they come to therapy, they
are extremely rigid and resistant to change. They do not recognize any problems and refuse to
own any personal feelings or emotions. Most likely they didn’t come voluntarily for counselling

● They talk about other people and the outside world, but they still deny or, are unable to identify
their own emotions. This clients might say things like ‘It’s not my fault; it’s theirs – isn’t it
● Clients avoid discussing their current feelings and instead speak about their experiences in the
past or future tense. They deny personal responsibility for the majority of their judgments, they
reject accepting their emotions.. This client migh say ‘I felt angry, but then everyone does,
don’t they?’ They also tend to do a lot of generalization
 Stages of Therapeutic Change
Cont’d
● Stage 4- Clients begin to talk of deep feelings but not ones
presently felt.
● Stage 5- Stage 5, they have begun to undergo significant change
and growth. They can express feelings in the present.
● Stage 6- Stage 6 experience dramatic growth and an irreversible
movement toward becoming fully functioning or self-actualizing.
So as we progress clients are opening up more

● However if they do express present feelings, they are usually surprised by this
expression and they deny or distort experiences, they start to see the incongruence
between their perceived self and their organismic experience. They accept more
freedom and responsibility than they did in Stage 3 and. They start to build trust with
the counsellor
● They also start to take ownership of their decisions and start making their own
judgments.
● They freely allow into awareness those experiences that they had previously denied
or distorted. They no longer evaluate their own behavior from an external viewpoint
but rely on their organismic self as the criterion for evaluating experiences.
 Stages of Therapeutic Change
Cont’d
● Stage 7- Clients become fully functioning “persons of tomorrow”

Psychologically healthy people would be more flexible.

● If client goes through process of therapeutic change, then certain observable
outcomes can be expected. These include … amongst that you can read upon in yiur
own time
● Historically, Jamaicans have been hesitant to seek mental health counseling for their
problems . Jamaican families often believe that the risks of what others might think
about them seeking professional help far outweigh the benefits of working through their
problems in a clinical setting .
● Also Jamaican adolescents typically seek friends and family for support and see
professionals such as guidance counselors as the last sources of help. Many Jamaican
have the belief only “crazy people” go to counseling.
● There is also the idea thatGod is punishing those affected by the illness for bad behavior
or they may attribute the cause of mental illness to supernatural or mystical phenomena.
Some people believe that an evil person cast a spell or worked obeah on them.
● Jamaican are at stage 1 and are most likely, resistant and rigid

Therefore, if a client has a negative view of counselling, the counsellor’s congruence

can help them feel more comfortable and valued. By being genuine and honest, the
counsellor can help the client build a trusting relationship and feel more confident in
their own judgement.
This can help the client overcome their negative view of counselling and become more
open to the therapeutic process
. Here is an example of how congruence might be demonstrated in a therapy session:
Suppose a client is discussing a difficult situation at work. The therapist might respond
by saying, “I can understand why you would feel that way. I’ve had similar
experiences in the past, and it’s not easy.”
● Empathy can help clients with negative views of counseling in several ways. First,
empathy can help clients feel more comfortable and less judged.
When a counselor shows empathy, it communicates to the client that their feelings ar
e valid and that they are not alone in their struggles
1
. Second, empathy can help clients feel more connected to their counselor.
When a client feels connected to their counselor, they are more likely to trust them an
d be open to their suggestions
2
. Finally, empathy can help clients develop a more positive view of counseling.
When a client experiences empathy from their counselor, it can help them see counse
ling as a helpful and supportive process
When a client has a negative view of counseling,
unconditional positive self-regard can help them feel more
comfortable and open to the therapeutic process.
By providing a safe and non-judgmental environment, client
s can feel more comfortable sharing their thoughts and feelin
gs with their therapist