What Makes Effective Counseling?

All professional counselors have the ethical and legal duty to help their clients to the best of their ability. Counselors using Person Centered Therapy are no exception to this rule. It is up to the counselor to gage the best therapeutic benefit within their scope of knowledge for their clients when choosing approaches and theories.

As a counselor, being aware of the theoretical approaches and which ones best suit your perspective on human nature, complications, and change for an individual is vital. Not only is understanding the approaches important, but the counselor’s own values and personal philosophy are equally fundamental for the counselor to do their job efficiently.

Before describing and evaluating the key elements of Person Centred Counselling (PCC) this essay will share a short description into the background of PCC in order to show its growth and how PCC is intertwined within other forms of counselling therapies. According to Sanders (2013) Dr. Carl Rogers, (1902-1987) was an American psychologist and the founder of what is now known as person-centred counselling or psychotherapy. Rogers was and still is held in high regard throughout many different fields of research, with numerous advantageous publications, such as ‘Client centred Therapy’ (1951) and ‘Freedom to learn’ (1969).

In the very early years of the person-centred approach, the direction and goals of the therapy were very much determined by the client, with the therapist’s role being to assist the client in clarifying their feelings. This approach of non-directive therapy was associated with a greater self-exploration, increased understanding, and improved self-concept. Further development of person centred therapy has seen a shift in concentration toward the core conditions assumed to be both necessary and sufficient for successful therapy (Cox, Bachkirova & Clutterbuck, 2010)

The end of the semester has arrived and this research paper is designed to give insight into my own personal theoretical orientation in the counseling field. The problem is that I am still undecided in that respect. I thought that I had a clear and concise choice; however, there are bits and pieces of almost every theory that might provide a resolution to client’s situation. It was Carl Rogers’s person centered therapy which I found was the theoretical approach for me. When the midterm exam was administered there was a question which asked “Which of the theories covered so far is the one that you lean towards.” I was quick and did not even think twice when I answered Carl Rogers’ person centered therapy was my choice theoretical orientation.

To me, as a trainee psychotherapist, the best way to thoroughly understand the person-centred approach is to connect the theory behind it to personal experiences. When I’m thinking about why I decided to study to become a Person-Centred therapist, and not a CBT or Psychoanalytic therapist, the first thing that comes to mind is my belief in self-healing. I strongly support Rogers’ idea that all individuals should be in charge of their own lives (Cooper et al., 2007). It is commonly assumed by government officials and the general public that treating clients by teaching them how to deal with their current issues has better outcomes than using client-centred therapies (Stiles et al., 2007). However, is directing the client in the “right direction” really what therapy is all about? How would a counsellor then know weather the path that they sent the client on is indeed the right one for them to achieve psychological wellness in a long term? In my experience of receiving counselling in the past I tended to be quite reserved towards the methods used by psychotherapists using a person-centred approach. I used to believe that I am not responsible for my own happiness and someone else had to tell me how to be happy. One of the main conflicts that I had and still have sometimes with person-centred therapy is that I loose faith that I am able to find my own way of healing myself. I remember years ago when I suffered with depression, no matter how hard I worked to return my internal

Over the time in this course I have been drawn to the Person – Centered Theory, I feel like that is what my personality is like, and I would love to continue to grow strong and practice theory that comes natural to me. This is the theory I scored highest on my Selective Theory Sorter- Revised Questionnaire. Person-Centered therapy will have great significance to my development as a professional counselor for the reason that I already think of myself as a very authentic, sympathetic and accepting person. I am an excellent listener, and I have learned to process my thoughts before I speak. I think that a consoling therapist/client relationship is indispensable to the counseling process. Another reason I like this psychotherapy/theory is because

Person centred counselling is therefore focused upon the individuals counsellors own qualities and interpersonal skills over the specific mode in which these qualities and skills are used in relation to clients. This can mean that person centred counselling is hard to put into practice as the approach does not rely on techniques but relies upon the personal qualities of the counsellor as there are no strict theoretical guidelines which state exactly how a counsellor must act in order help their clients (The British Association for the Person-centred Approach, 2015). Moreover, Rogers did not like the idea of the approach staying the same and advocated the disliked the idea of the approach standing still, and was a strong advocate of modification of the theory. A number of different approaches to person-centred counselling have emerged, with each approach taking a slightly different perspective on how to help the client. Although these branches of person centred counselling share the same underlying ideas of the original theoretical perspective each one offers a different method of person centred counselling (Gillon, 2007). Therefore, it is generally only the personal qualities and skills of the counsellor which transfer between each subdivision in person centred counselling rather

As a humanistic counselling approach, person-centred therapy emphasises the potential for self-knowledge and personal growth (Corey, 2009). It views the deviation from one’s inherent goodness as a source of psychological problems, in turn aiming to increase one’s self-awareness to help them direct their life in more satisfying ways (Cooper, 2003). With the person-centred approach being more an attitude than a set of definitive techniques, a better understanding of its process is formed through connecting theory and practice. As such, this case study aims to apply the person-centred approach to a fictional client based around Lester Burnham from American Beauty (Cohen, Jinks & Mendes, 1999). Initially, an introduction to the client will be presented, followed by the assumptions, assessment, and goals formed when working with him from a person-centred perspective. Several hypothetical helping sessions will then be presented.

Person-Centered Therapy (PCT) embodies a humanistic approach, which is intended to increase a person’s feelings of self-worth, and reduce the level of incongruence between the ideal self and the actual self (Gelso, Cepeda & Davenport, 2006). This critical analysis is meant to examine various approaches and skills counselors/therapists would use when applying a ‘person-centered’ type of therapy. This analysis briefly outlines what PCT is, but focuses more heavily on the various approaches used by social workers throughout the therapeutic relationship. More specifically, PCT approaches such as, counselor/client congruence, empathic understanding, and unconditional positive regard are the main approaches highlighted in this analysis as they play an integral role in the counseling relationship.

It is important that the therapist conduct sessions in a way where they are showing themselves in the session without pretense. This allows a growth-promoting climate with the psychoanalysis of the client’s behavior. An important factor for a successful person-centered therapy allows clients the freedom to develop and control their own lives, rather than being tied to their past (Goodwin, 2008). This method also denotes and consists of psychotherapy theory and humanistic therapy where the concentration is on the present rather than the past, and the humanistic analyst tends to underlines awareness instead of being unaware. Both theories share a common method while patients and clients converse their feelings vocally and the therapist provide analyses.

In determining which theory to utilize in the case study of Deidre, I took into consideration the ongoing discovery of my therapeutic orientation. It is important for me to align my theory choice with my values and beliefs, or at least come close. The Person-Centered theory came closest to my belief system, and I felt this theory would be the best in representing my theoretical orientation ideas with the goal of helping my client Deidre effectively. The focus of person-centered counseling is not on the therapist, but on the client’s views, thoughts and feelings (Hazler, 2011). The person-centered theory states that the client has an innate motivation to grow in positive ways (Hazler, 2011).

The role of a counselor takes on many different forms, and it is a very important career, because it helps people make better life choices. The personal values we have, and also how we view the world, can help shape the type of counselor we will be. I will take a self-reflective view of what I hold dear, and also explain how my personal experiences have led me to chose a career in this particular helping profession. I will also describe the differences between the professional counseling, and other helping professions, such as social work for an example. I also will look at how accreditation, licensure, and certification, are important in defining what a counselor is, and does.

Person-centered theory embraces the person-centered counselling or client-centered counselling relationship. It’s a humanistic approach that deals with the ways in which individuals perceive themselves consciously rather than how a counsellor can interpret their unconscious thoughts or ideas (Raskin, Nathaniel, Rogers & Witty, 2008). It provides focus to the client’s ability to build trust, which allows the client to learn how to react to people, and situations, in a more positive manner, as well as reducing negative feelings. As well as diverged toward a nondirective, empathic approach that empowers and motivates the client in the therapeutic process (Raskin, Nathaniel, Rogers & Witty, 2008). According to Roger, human being strives for and has the capacity to fulfill his or her own potential (Rogers,

In the counseling profession, having knowledge of the theoretical approaches and which ones will be essential based on your standpoint of human nature, problems, and changes for an individual is important. Having a clear understanding of the approaches is key, but the counselor’s knowledge of his or her own principles, life experiences and viewpoints will define how the counselor will effectively perform their job.