What is Person Centred Counselling?

Person-Centred Counselling was developed by a psychotherapist called Carl Rogers.  Originally called Non-Directive therapy, this therapy moved away from the viewpoint that the counsellor was an expert in the client’s life.  A fundamental component of the Person-Centred Approach is trust: trust that the client can find the answers to the problems they are facing in their life.  Carl Rogers said:

“It is the client who knows what hurts, what directions to go, what problems are crucial, what experiences have been deeply buried” 

C. Rogers, On Becoming a Person, pg. 11

Unlike other Therapeutic modalities, Person-Centred counsellors do not aim to diagnose and interpret what is going on for the client. They do not offer advice or attempt to steer a client towards talking about any particular issue or towards any particular solution.  Instead the Person-centred counsellor’s focus is on building a therapeutic relationship with the client and creating a safe, non-judgmental space in which a client can feel comfortable exploring their own thoughts and feelings.

To do this the counsellor offers the following conditions:

1.    Empathy: this means that the counsellor is actively trying to connect with what the client is feeling in the moment and to understand what life looks like from their perspective.

2.    Acceptance: the counsellor sees and accepts all the parts of a client at all times.  It is an attitude of respect, viewing another individual as a unique and independent person, with the right to live according to their own viewpoint.  

3.    Genuineness: simply put, this means that the counsellor is being authentic.  The counsellor is invested in the therapeutic relationship with the client and is not putting on an act or pretending.  The counsellor aims to be fully present with the client.

These conditions create an environment in which clients can feel completely listened to, understood, and accepted.  In this environment, the counsellor aims to facilitate and empower the client to respect their own autonomy thus allowing the client to grow and move through the obstacles in their life that are causing distress.  

Further information

The Person Centred Association

Person Centred Therapy Scotland

Further reading

Understanding Person-centred Counselling (2014) – Christine Brown

A Way of Being (1995) – Carl Rogers