What is Person-centred therapy?

Person-centred is a type of humanistic therapy that is classed as ‘non-directive’ and puts the client/patient at the heart of the session – it was founded by Carl Rogers in the 1940s. Carl Rogers was a therapist who recognised a need in certain therapeutic sessions for the client to be asked how they were feeling rather than being told what to do. This seems common sense now, but it was revolutionary at that time as it wasn’t really considered if the person themselves might have an idea of what they needed instead.

Main ideas:

“…people grow in the presence of understanding, and that the heart of therapy lies in the relationship itself.”

As the above quote says, Rogers believed that at the heart of therapy is the relationship built between a client and the therapist. He felt that by offering empathy, congruence (honesty) and unconditional positive regard (UPR), you could create a relationship that allowed a client the confidence and trust to explore what is happening for them and help to make sense of their world.

Rogers believed that we all born with an innate desire to be the best version of ourselves that we can possibly be, but we often experience things that get in the way of achieving this. He believed that we all have an ‘actualising tendency’ that is driving us to make the best of where we find ourselves, to grow and develop in whatever our circumstances are.

Key idea:

• Person-centred therapy focuses on the person as an individual. It emphasizes respecting the individual’s needs, values and experiences, and tailors the therapy to that person.

What things can Person-centred therapy help with:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Improved sense of self
• Communication of feelings
• Grief and loss
• Interpersonal relationships
• Stress
• Trauma

What to expect from me in a session:

• I will listen intently and take time to understand your experiences.
• I will offer you honesty, empathy and a non-judgemental safe space to work through things.
• I will encourage you to decide what to focus on each session.
• For it to be less structured than some other therapy, as we will focus on connections made in the moment.
• I will follow your train of thought and if I can’t, I will ask you to clarify it.
• I will encourage you to explore things and help you to make connections between current feelings/behaviours and past experiences.

What else we might do:

We might work through some coping strategies to support yourself outside of sessions such as:

• Breathing techniques
• Grounding techniques
• Self-soothing techniques

Discuss the use of things such as journaling to support you outside of sessions.

A safe place to work through things

Whatever you are experiencing, you would be met with a safe place to explore this and work through how it is impacting your day-to-day life. We would work on understanding it, then on rebuilding and moving forwards from your experiences.

If you think you would like to learn more about accessing therapy of this or any kind, get in touch with our team here at Nafs Health to talk through what your needs are.