2. Carl Rogers
(1902-1987)
The Founder of Person-Centered
Therapy
3. “The Quiet Revolutionary”
Introduced his revolutionary ideas in the 1940s
Ideas were in stark contrast to psychoanalysis
and directive approaches
Shifted focus of therapy from an emphasis on
technique to that of the relationship
4. Client vs. Patient
Introduced the term “client”
Believed in the equality of client and therapist
5. Rogers’ Central Hypothesis
“If I can provide a certain type of relationship,
the other will discover within himself the
capacity to use that relationship for growth,
and change and personal development will
occur.” (Carl Rogers)
6. Rogers’ Central Ideas
Encouraged clients to reflect on their
experience
Believed it was necessary for nonjudgmental
listening and acceptance to promote change
7. Rogers Focused on Research
Stated concepts as testable hypotheses and submitted them to
research
Recorded his sessions for the purpose of research
Defined his theory in operational terms
Displayed a questioning stance and a deep openness to change
Feared institutionalization would lead to a narrow, rigid, and
dogmatic perspective.
8. Carl Rogers
“The therapist, author, and person were the
same man.” (Cain, 1987)
Had a major impact on the field of
psychotherapy
9. Other Contributions
Now over 200 therapeutic approaches of
client-centered therapy
Innovations in Person-Centered Therapy:
Virginia Axline made contributions to person centered therapy
with children and play therapy
Johnson and Greenberg applied the person-centered approach to
working with couples and families
10. Assumptions
People are trustworthy by nature
They have the capacity to understand and
resolve their own problems
They are innately resourceful and capable
Clients can understand what is making them
unhappy
11. Humanism
An alternative to psychoanalytic and
behavioral approaches
Respect and trust the client
Everyone has a natural potential
The person-centered approach rests on
humanism
13. Therapeutic Goals
Greater degree of independence
Focus on the person, not the problem
Must first get through the masks clients wear
to get to the goal
14. Therapist Function and Role
Their role is to be an instrument for change
Be present and accessible
15. Relationship between Therapist and
Client
Characterized by equality
Therapists are transparent, true to themselves,
authentic
16. Assessments
Shy away from assessments and tests
Shy away from case histories
What matters is the client’s self assessment
17. Incorporating Person-Centered
Therapy Across Cultures
• In the 1970s Rogers and his associates began forming
encounter group workshops which provided
participants with multicultural experiences
• Trained policymakers, world leaders, and groups in
conflict
Northern Ireland- Protestants and Catholics
South African groups of conflict- Whites and Blacks
18. Person-Centered Therapy Across
Cultures
• Person-Centered therapy is used in foreign regions
including: Australia, Japan, South America and Central
America
• Models of the therapy have been blended with the
techniques of other cultures in these foreign regions
• Nobel Peace Prize Nominee
19. Cautions Toward Using Person-
Centered Techniques
• Cautions against making assumptions about
clients based on their cultural background.
• No stereotyping !
• A therapist must hold off on judging the
client’s cultural background too quickly.
20. Limitations to Multicultural
Counseling
• Desire for more structure than is provided by person-
centered therapy
• The clinician does not tend to offer suggestions
• Solutions is not found to be useful in some cultures
21. Limitations Continued…
• The stigma of mental health care
• Receiving therapy might be seen as a sign of weakness
or as taboo.
• Therapy might be a last resort for most
22. Limitations to Multicultural
Counseling
Direct vs. Indirect Styles of Communication
• Person-centered Therapy is indirect
• It is difficult to transfer core elements of the therapy
into actual practice in certain cultures.
• Direct- African American Cultures
• Indirect- Asian Cultures
23. Limitations to Multicultural
Counseling
Collectivism vs. Individualism
• Person-centered therapy is individual focused
• Some ethnic groups and cultures value collectivism
more than individualism.
• Collective- Native American Cultures
• Individual- United States of America
24. Effective with:
Anxiety disorder
Alcoholism
Psychosomatic problems
Agoraphobia
Interpersonal difficulties
Depression
Cancer
Marriage and family
(Corey)
25. Why so effective…
Belief that the client is the central figure in
therapy (Gurman & Messer, 1997)
Optimistic and accepting
Play therapy effective with children (Hunter,
1993)
26. Crisis Intervention
Unwanted pregnancy
Illness
Loss of a loved one
Many times used by nurses because they are the
first to interact with patients
27. Problems with Person Centered
Therapy
Borderline Personality Disorder
Modified versions of Person-Centered therapy may
be effective but none exist
Needs to recognize the disorder (not just focus on
the person)
Schizophrenia
– Needs to recognize the disorder
(Van Blarikom, 2008)
28. Criticism
Rogers is overly optimistic
Concepts covered in therapy must generalize
to real life
Creates maladjustment in clients
29. Criticism…
“Empathy only evolves if the therapist is
genuinely interested in entering the client’s
world and actually is concerned about the
client” (Kensit, 2000)
30. Criticism…
“Although Rogers stresses that acceptance is
not the same as approval, where do we draw
the line? Do we allow sociopathic criminals to
spend hours in therapy providing insight into
their morbid and inhumane delights without
any form of direction or confrontation?”
(Kensit, 2000)