PERSON-CENTERED

APPROACH
INTRODUCTION TO COUNSELING

PRESENTED BY:
ABAO, MYLANE GRACE
ALBAY, MARY PEARL
ANCIADO, ISABELA ARMAINE
BALINAS, CHAIRA JADE
 WHO IS CARL
ROGERS?
Carl Rogers wanted to become a farmer, then wanted to
become a devout Christian and then eventually did not do both.
He ended up becoming a clinical/educational psychologist.
He is more of a therapist than a theorist.
He served as APA president (1946-1947)
When he was a child, he was extremely shy and eventually
became more socially skilled
He did not want to create his own systematized theory but was
pressured by his contemporaries to do so

"I'm not perfect, but I'm enough."

"What I am is good enough if I would only be it openly." - Carl Rogers
WHAT IS PERSON-CENTERED
APPROACH?

Person-centered therapy was founded by Carl Rogers in the early

1940s. One of the most widely used psychotherapy approaches is
person-centered therapy in which the therapist provides structure, and
support to help the client find their own unique answers to difficulties.
RELATED TO PERSON-
CENTERED APPROACH
Client centered theory
Nondirective counseling
Rogerian therapy / Rogerian psychotherapy
More concerned with helping people than with discovering why they behaved
as they did.
“How can I help this person grow and develop?”
Developed from the concepts of humanistic psychology.
 Follows an if-then framework
If certain conditions exist, then a process will
occur; if this process occurs, then certain

OVERVIEW
outcomes can be expected.
If the therapist is congruent and
communicates unconditional positive regard

AND and accurate empathy to the client, then

therapeutic change will occur.

RATIONALE OF
THE PERSON- The personal preference of Rogers was to be
a helper of people and not a constructor of
CENTERED theories.
He emphasized the growth of patients called

APPROACH by ( Roger's the client ) rather than the

identification and labeling of disorders.

The sole emphasis of Rogers therapy was on

the client-therapist relationship called the
"nondirective" technique.

 Key Concepts of Carl Rogers' Theory

The Humanistic influence on person-centered therapy
The humanistic approach has been a major influence on person-
centered therapy. Person-centered therapists believe that clients are
capable and trustworthy and they focus on clients’ ability to make
changes for themselves.

Actualisation

People have a tendency to seek self-actualization. Self-actualization

refers to complete development. It occurs throughout a person's life as
they strive for "intrinsic goals, self-realization and fulfillment, involving
autonomy and self-regulation."
 Phenomenological perspective Ideal Self

It refers to the unique perception of

The person you want to be. It
each individual of his or her own
consists of our goals and ambitions
world. The individual experiences
in life.
and perceives own world and reacts

in an individual way. The fully functioning person

Generally, the fully functioning person

Real Self
will be open to experience, lives with a
Who you actually are in real life. It is sense of meaning and purpose, and
also called perceived self. trusts in self and others.
 Congruence Incongruence

When there is a similarity between a

When our self-image and ideal-self are
person's ideal self and how they
not closely matched we experience
perceive themselves in real-life / their
incongruence.
actual behavior (self-image), we are in
a state of congruence.

Conditions of worth

Conditions of worth influence the way in which a person’s self-concept is

shaped from important people in his or her life. Conditions of worth refer
to judgemental and critical messages from important people that
influence the way the individual acts and reacts to certain situations.
Mental health is a congruence of ideal self and real self. Maladjustment is the
result of a discrepancy or incongruence between what one wants to be and
what one is.
 Core Purpose of
Person-Centered
Approach

Person-centered therapy aims to facilitate our ability for self-actualization

and conviction as each individual develops and reaches our full potential in
life. In enabling the client to explore and utilize their own abilities and personal
identity this strategy supports their personal growth and relationships. The
therapist aids their client during this process by giving them crucial assistance
and making their way through this journey.
Goals of Person-Centered
Approach

There are several fundamental core goals that underlie every humanistic
therapeutic approach. These aims comprise:

Boost your self-acceptance and self-esteem

Personal development and self-expression
Reduce negative feelings including defensiveness, remorse, guilt, and
insecurity.
Greater understanding of one's own worth and trust
 Therapeutic Techniques
Congruence or genuineness:
This technique involves therapists being genuine
and authentic, and ensuring that their facial
expressions and body language match their
words.
Empathy:
It is vital for the therapist to show clients that
s/he understands their emotions rather than
just feeling sympathy for them.
sessions.
Person-Centered Approach
Unconditional Positive Regard:
As described earlier in this piece, unconditional positive
regard (UPR) is practice by accepting, respecting, and
caring about one’s clients; the therapist should operate
from the perspective that clients are doing the best
they can in their circumstances and with the skills and
knowledge available to them.
Nondirectiveness:
A cornerstone of client-centered therapy, non-
directiveness refers to the method of allowing the client
to drive the therapy session; therapists should refrain
from giving advice or planning activities for their
 Other Therapeutic Techniques
Reflection of Feelings:
Open Questions:
Repeating what the client has shared about his
This technique refers to the quintessential “therapist”
or her feelings; this lets the client know the
question – “How does that make you feel?” Of course,
therapist is listening actively and understanding
that is not the only open question that can be used in
what the client is saying, as well as giving them
client-centered therapy, but it is a good open question
an opportunity to further explore their feelings.
that can encourage clients to share and be vulnerable.

Paraphrasing:
Encouragers:
Therapists can let clients know that they
These words or phrases, like “uh-huh,” “go on,” and
understand what the clients have told them by
“what else?” are excellent at encouraging the client to
repeating what they have said back to them in
continue; these can be especially useful for a client
the therapist’s own words; this can also help the
who is shy, introverted, or afraid of opening up and
client to clarify their feelings or the nature of
being vulnerable (Garrett & Garrett, 2013).
their problems.

Person-Centered Approach
 CASE STUDY
Jane is an 18-year-old daughter of a well-known family. During her childhood, she was already expected to excel
in all things. These expectations were built because her parents are both doctors. They believe that their
daughter will also be a successful doctor in the future. Holding these expectations, Jane was pressured to study
hard and gain awards and recognition. She's punished for every disappointment she brought to her parents,
while praised and rewarded for the things she does that aligned with their expectations. In her college entrance
exam, she was anxious that she won't meet the standard and felt that she is not worthy of love if she failed. She
thinks that her sleepless night, cutting off social media, and studying until dawn weren't enough. Jane feels she
constantly lets everyone down and can never gain approval from those whose opinions she cares about. Trying
harder to please and meet everyone's expectations takes her further away from wholeness and true self-worth.
Jane has lost confidence in her ability to make good decisions and constantly seeks outside direction on how she
should act. Her low self-esteem will hinder any feelings of success and satisfaction. After the results of her college
entrance exam, she cried for not passing her first choice a pre-med program however she was qualified for her
second option, which is accountancy. Even though she passed her pre-med program at another university, she
decided to take accountancy because that is what she truly wants. She did it even against her parent's wishes.
She still has doubts like what if she fails at the program that she wants? Want if it is not really for her like what
her parents think?
Because of this, she decided to go to a counseling session with a counselor she was assigned to.
 CASE STUDY
1. Undertaking person-centered therapy, the therapist will provide an optimal therapeutic environment where her
actualizing tendencies can flourish.

2. Through active listening and empathy, the therapist and Jane will build a trusting therapeutic alliance and further clarify
her thoughts and feelings. Being able to work out problems and breaking them down, Jane will no longer view them as
insurmountable as she did before.

3. Unconditional positive regard will install confidence in Jane as a competent person capable of making decisions and
problem solving on her own. By increasing trust in herself, she reduces the control others have over her and will begin to
believe in her own self-worth.

4. Consistency and genuine rapport between Jane and the counselor will allow her to feel that the ideas and actions
developed during sessions are authentic, dependable, and can be replicated outside in the real world.

5. Jane's newfound view of the world will lead to her trying out new approaches to problems. She will continue to report
back on her progress in integrating these new approaches. She will eventually come to recognize that she is capable of
independently achieving success and overcoming failure.

6. Jane will continue these practices until she has reached self-actualization and becomes a fully funtional person.
Thank you for listening!