Humanistic Psychotherapy

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Humanistic Psychotherapy
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Client Centered Therapy

• Referred to as nondirective counseling and
  person-centered therapy
• Key figure Carl Rogers

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Carl Rogers 1902-1987
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Breaking with Psychoanalysis

• Trained in psychodynamic psychotherapy
• Uncomfortable with idea of therapists as
  authorities in search of unconscious material
• Discovered treatment approach of Otto Rank in
  which therapist guides individual to self
  understanding, therapist as a human being is the
  remedy, not the technical skill

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Theoretical Propositions

• Basic human tendency is toward maintaining and
  enhancing the experiencing selfor self
  actualization
• Assumed the cause of disorder blocked self
  actualization
• Goal gap between perceived self and ideal self
  increase self-acceptance, inner direction, and
  support personal growth
• Goal releasing of an already existing capacity
  in a potentially competent individual, not the
  expert manipulation of a more or less passive
  personality

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Client Centered Therapy Key Techniques and
Methods

• Empathetic understanding (reflect and clarify
  feelings, active listening
• Unconditional positive regard
• Congruence (genuineness)

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Empathy

• Seeing the world as they client sees it
• Not .sympathy

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Unconditional Positive Regard

• Acceptance without stipulation
• Conveys three messages
• Therapist cares about the client
• Therapist accepts the client
• Therapist trust the clients ability to change

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Congruence--Genuineness

• Expressing behaviors, feelings, or attitudes that
  the client stimulates

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Therapeutic Process

• Therapy is nondirective
• Therapist does not
• Ask questions, make interpretations, criticize,
  or reassure
• Therapist does
• recognize and clarify clients feelings

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Client Centered Therapy and Diagnoses

• Diagnosis is de-emphasized or avoided
• Assessment places therapist in a superior role
• Therapy can be effective with everyone

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Client Centered Therapy vs. Traditional
Psychoanalytic Therapy

• Provided an alternative to traditional
  psychoanalytic psychotherapy
• Alternative focus on self-determination and inner
  directedness (not biological urges and instincts)
• Active rather than passive client (less authority
  for therapist)
• Ahistorical (shorter treatment)

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Research

• Research by Rogers
• Rogers emphasized research
• First to tape record sessions with clients for
  data analysis
• Developed indiceds of outcome based on client
  ratings

• Research on Client Centered Therapy
• Greenberg (1994)
• Metanalysis of studies between 1978 and 1992
• Average effect size was .88 (on average a client
  in treatment functioned better than 81 of those
  not receiving treatment

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Criticisms

• Not suitable for serious disorder
• Research on effectiveness has relied on clients
  self report rather than objective criteria