Client Centred Therapy: Its Current Practice, Implications and Theory

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This was back when Rogers was still used to writing academic papers, so parts of it are pretty heavy going, with a lot of transcriptions of counselling sessions. The unfolding of the nondirective attitude contributes to every field of therapy from play to group considerations. Therefore, experience should dictate and precede theory as words will always fall short of the full experience.

Rogers has endeavored to bring the realities of the counseling session – the anxiety, the despair, the hope, and the satisfaction – into the text. I love Carl Rogers' ideas, though, and I find it really validating to read about his work with clients. You get a feeling of what is actually meant by the often very elaborate verbatim case notes, but a more theoretical and practical discussion might have been useful. Rogers is particularly sharp and expressively clear in some of his approaches concerning therapy and philosophy of the therapeutic relationship. His Client Centered theory was not a top-down theory of the mind, rather a bottom-up set of ideas abstracted out of countless experiences in the therapy office.

Carl Rogers' well known technique of active listening (mirroring back to the client what he just said) is more than a therapeutic gimmick, it is the manifestation of a profound theory of psychology and an act of faith in humanity.

Through his thought provoking statements this book helped me reflect on my practice and hopefully helped me become a better counsellor. Many apparently find this more 'academic' approach harder to digest than his less "theoretical" works, but on the other hand this is still very easy to read and powerful in its approach. By reflecting his inner reality back, this provides the client with an opportunity to dive more deeply into his psyche, down to the layer of conflict. All in all I feel like this book helped me to grow as a counselor and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is seeking a better understanding of client-centered therapy. Or as one client states in a follow-up interview one year after the conclusion of therapy: ‘I’m not self-conscious like I used to be…I don’t concentrate on being myself.For Rogers, a therapy room where the practitioner forbids himself to involve himself emotionally to the client sends a message: in this room it is unsafe to explore emotions. I do not fully agree that a nondirective approach would work in all cases, but I feel that there is much benefit in beginning the counseling relationship with the idea that a client is worthy of respect and should be seen as someone who has an ability to make changes himself rather than someone needing to be taught the answers by the counselor.

This is the original bible for person centred therapists where the basis for this type of therapy is founded.

He was cautious to submit his model of therapy to the scientific method and, when available, he defended his ideas with academic studies. C]lient-centered therapy, with the intense focusing upon self which it involves, has as its end result, not more self-consciousness, but less. It is the role of the therapist to reflect (and accept) the expressions of the client with the emotional obfuscation removed. These guidelines for personal and social conduct can make it easier for a person to determine where they fit in to everything without much thought or effort.