Person-Centered Therapy
It’s rare that an individual decides to attend therapy without having sought help in other ways. Often, by the time one finds themselves in therapy, they’ve attempted to reach out to those around them for help.
Commonly; however, in an attempt to be helpful, family and friends may tell the individual how they should fix their problem, which can often feel like a lecture, even if they have their best intentions in mind. For this reason, and others, it is vital that your problems are met with a non-authoritative approach in therapy, offered by a person-centered therapist.
The 3 Basic Principles
This therapeutic approach is based on three basic principles: congruence, empathetic understanding, and unconditional positive regard.
- Congruence means the therapist is authentically themselves in the therapeutic relationship, and doesn’t present an air of authority over the client.
- Empathetic understanding means that the therapist ‘feels with’ the client instead of ‘feeling for’ the client. The therapist views feelings, thoughts, and ideas from the lens of the client, not their own experience, which is vital.
- Lastly, Unconditional positive regard means the therapist is non-judgmental, and encourages the client to make their own decisions, seeing the client as the expert of their own life.
A Safe Space
Fundamentally, person-centered therapists believe in YOU as the client. The person-centered therapy approach states that you have the answers within yourself to make the changes necessary, but you need a supportive, understanding, neutral person to help you get there.
This approach makes space for “therapeutic rapport” which means the client feels safe, respected and supported in the relationship. Feeling this way allows for progress to be made in your goals. The purpose of this type of therapy is to facilitate self-discovery, self-love, and healing.
