Person Centred Therapy

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Person Centred Therapy
Personality people are trustworthy, resourceful,
capable of self understanding and self direction,
able to make self corrective changes and able to
live effective and productive lives. the
individual has an inherent capacity to move away
from maladjustment and toward psychological
health. Development of self-concept Through life
experiences the person differentiates ownership
or context of experience and beliefs which are
aspects of self or aspects of the environment.
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Person Centred Therapy
Motivation The individual has one motivational
force "self actualization Self Actualization -
the inherent tendency of the organism to develop
all its capacities in ways which serve to
maintain or enhance the organism. Rogers 1959
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Person Centred Therapy
Positive Behavioural ChangeMan moves toward
greater self actualization through the continued
differentiation between self and the environment.
The individual must become aware of the "masks"
they have adopted in the socialization process.
Once the individual realizes that their behaviour
is strongly influence by social expectation they
start to develop their unique personality. The
individual is faced with the conflict of what
they could be and what society says they should
be or will be and self actualization wins
out. Self actualization includes elements of
social responsibility.
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Person Centred Therapy
Dysfunctional Personality Individuals who
continue to act within the boundaries of social
roles frustrate the self actualization process.
They operate form an external locus of
control The individual when faced with the
conflict of what they could be and what society
says they should be or will be and society wins
out Maladaptive behaviour is much a function of
the lack of fulfillment of individual needs -
Maslow's Hierarchy
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Six Conditions Necessary for Therapeutic
Behavioural Change
1. two people are in psychological contact 2.
one the client is experiencing incongruency or
anxiety 3. the other the CYW is congruent or
integrated in the relationship 4. the CYW
experiences unconditional positive regard or real
caring for the client 5. the CYW experiences
empathy for the client's internal frame of
reference and endeavors to communicate this to
the client 6. the communication to the client is
to a minimal degree achieved
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Clients movement through change

• Self Exploration
• Client is encouraged to examine exactly where
  they are in their lives
• 2. Realization of self and social self
• Client begins to understand the relationship of
  where they are in life and where the would like
  to be.
• 3. Goal directed action
• Client involves themselves in a plan for change

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Characteristics of individuals moving toward self
actualization

• openness to experience
• 2. trust in themselves
• 3. internal source of evaluation
• 4. willingness to continue to grow

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Goals of Therapy
Provide a safe climate conductive to client's
self exploration. Develop a authentic
relationship with the client so that they feel
valued Help the individual develop a greater
degree of independence and personal
integration The cornerstone to therapy is the
view that clients in a relationship with a
facilitating therapist have the capacity to
define and clarify their goals appropriately
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Therapeutic Techniques
Congruence Unconditional positive
regard Empathy Active and passive
listening Reflection of thoughts and
feelings Clarification Summarization Confrontation
of contradictions Open leads ( questions) that
help client self exploration
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Applications
Behaviour Management -basic problem with using a
"person centred approach" to behaviour management
is that our experience with disturbed children
and adolescents seems at odds with the basic
philosophy that
individuals are by nature "self regulating" best
case scenario would be to focus on the manner in
which behaviour management techniques are
implemented. The goal would be to use techniques
that were as non interventive as possible to
allow the opportunity for the child to figure out
their own control behaviour. requires
relationship
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Behaviour Management Techniques
ie. signaling, humour, and hurdle help would be
appropriate in that they involve the least
intrusive controls punishments, physical
restraint, would be avoided because they
basically remove control from the child. There
will be situations however where a Person Centre
approach is inappropriate
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Programming and Counselling

• Programming
• therapeutic goal is to provide an environment in
  which the child feels free to develop a greater
  degree of independence and personal integration.
  Allow child choice and responsibility in
  identifying programming activities
• Counselling
• refer to therapeutic techniques

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Key Terms in Person Centred Therapy
Congruence the state in which self experiences
are accurately symbolized in the self
concept Unconditional Positive Regard the
nonjudgmental expression of a fundamental
respect for the person as a human being -
acceptance of a person's right to his or her
feelings Accurate Empathic Understanding - the
process of perceiving the internal frame of
reference of another - grasping and
effectively communicating the person's feelings
and ideas without losing one's own identity

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Key Terms in Person Centred Therapy
Internal Locus Of Evaluation the process of
deciding on actions and the evaluation of self
worth is located within the self. Congruent
beliefs and values. - actions and self worth
are not the product of social expectation.