Humanistic Clientcentered therapy

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Humanistic (Client-centered) therapy
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Rooted in phenomenology

• A persons subjective perception of the world is
  more important than the real world.

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Psychological incongruence discrepancies between

• Self-image and ideal self-image
• Self-image and actual self
• Subjective perception of world and the real world

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Primary principles

• Holistic approach to self
• Focus on the person's good qualities emphasis on
  psychological health rather than psychopathology

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Abraham Maslow

• Self-actualization reaching one's full
  potential

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Carl Rogers "Rogerian therapy"

• Unconditional positive regard
• i.e., warmth, genuineness, and empathy
• therapist accepts client regardless of whatever
  s/he does or says ("no strings attached")
• focus on genuineness
• therapist is "congruent" expresses real
  reactions to clients
• Elements of unconditional positive regard have
  been deemed non-specific elements of the
  therapeutic process
• Common factors from first therapy lecture

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Rogerian therapeutic techniques

• Paraphrasing
• Reflection
• Open-ended questions
• Interpretation
• element shared with psychoanalytic therapy

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Variants of humanistic therapy

• Existential therapy
• Logotherapy
• Gestalt therapy

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Existential therapy

• Based on a school of philosophy known as
  existentialism
• Jean-Paul Sartre
• Existentialism deals with questions of human
  existence
• meaning of life, self-determination
• Focus of existential therapy
• Here and now
• Self-determination
• we are in control of our own actions

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Logotherapy

• developed by Viktor Frankl
• Primary principle how do people find meaning in
  their lives?
• Contribution (what they give)
• Experience (what they take)
• Attitude in response to a challenge (e.g.,
  "courage under fire")
• techniques
• Paradoxical intention encourage client to
  demonstrate a behavior s/he has been trying to
  avoid mock symptom
• Dereflection used to treat hyper-reflection, or
  excessive self-observation

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Gestalt therapy

• "Gestalt" is German for pattern or whole
• refer back to holistic nature of the humanistic
  therapies
• Developed by Fritz Perls
• Underlying principles and techniques
• Emphasis on individual responsibility
• Idea of polarity
• false distinction between different aspects of
  self hinders acceptance of self as an entity
• Insight
• reflects Perls's psychoanalytic training
• Confrontation
• sets Gestalt therapy apart from less directive
  Rogerian therapy

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Efficacy of Rogerian therapy

• Research has not proven it to be any more
  effective than other types of therapy, but a
  large body of empirical evidence supports the
  usefulness of warmth, empathy, and genuineness in
  the therapeutic setting.