3. Video
• Fully functioning person: 2.5 min
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZwMz-807uE
4. Learning objectives
1.Define and describe the central
concepts in Humanistic approach
2.Describe the core conditions
used in the client -therapist
relationship
3.Evaluate the strengths and
weaknesses of humanism
5.
6. Carl Rogers was the driving
force
Phenomenology and
existentialism
Third force Psychology
Maslow hierarchy of needs
1. BACKGROUND TO THE
APPROACH
7. Carl Roger's was the
driving force
1. Rogers based the approach from a
psychological point of view
2. Used the scientific method for
object of measurement
3. Was a reaction against the
psychoanalytic and behaviourism
4. His aim was to study the effect on
the client of directive vs
nondirective behaviour
8. Question: 2 minutes
•What are the characteristics
of directive therapy?
•What are the
characteristics of non-directive
therapy?
9. Phenomenology and
existentialism
1. Philosophical movement that
emphasizes worth of the
individual and the centrality of
human values
2. Human capacity to overcome
hardship & despair
3. The subjective experience of
the person is central
10. Third force Psychology
1. Third force in psychology:
Humanism
2. Main players:
• Maslow-hierarchy of needs
• Allport- the psychology of the
demobbed
• Fritz Perls- Gestalt
psychology
11. The Humanistic Tradition:
The Motive to Self-Actualize
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Needs are hierarchically organized
Needs must be satisfied at the lower levels
before we proceed to satisfy the higher
needs
Lower needs are more powerful and
pressing
12. Maslow’s Theory
“We each have a hierarchy of
needs that ranges from
"lower" to "higher." As lower
needs are fulfilled there is a
tendency for other, higher
needs to emerge.”
13. Maslow’s Theory
Maslow’s theory maintains that a person does
not feel a higher need until the needs of the
current level have been satisfied.
Question: Reflect on how you have met your
own needs at each level. Write these down.
Maslow's basic needs are as follows:
22. Existential-Humanistic Tradition
Gestalt Theory
History: Founded by Fritz Perls
• Believed looking at the whole was more
important than looking at the parts.
• Motivated to perfect a theory as different
from Freud’s as possible.
Basic Tenets
• The Here and Now
• Personal Awareness
• Personal Responsibility
• Unfinished Business
• Becoming more fully alive
23. Gestalt Techniques
• The Here and Now: Everything important
happens in the present.
• Unfinished Business: Things from the past,
haunt us in the present.
• Channels of Resistance: Blocks people use to
prevent themselves from having contact with
others.
• Choices of Language: Client’s aren’t allow to
overgeneralize.
25. The Actualising
Tendency
Self-concept: Sense of
self
Core conditions for
therapy
3. ROGERS CORE CONCEPTS
26.
27.
28. Video
• 13 elements (4 min)
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=WWSm8FLid9c&feature=related
29. the notion of the actualising
tendency
• the tendency to develop more
complex organisations,
• to fulfil potential in being human
• to actualise the self
• Overall described as the formative
tendency: the capacity to grow and
develop.
30. Self-concept
• Innate process by which a person tends
to grow spiritually and realize potential
• Through self-exploration and integrating
various psychic forces to become a
“whole” person
• Feelings, thoughts and behaviours
accepted by significant others are
integrated into the self concept
• Conditions of worth: conditional and
unconditional positive regard
33. Question (3 minutes)
• Briefly reflect on an encounter with
another person where you felt deeply
understood and accepted by that
person.
• List some of the qualities that allowed
for that understanding to occur
• How did acceptance occur?
• How did it make you feel to be so
deeply understood?
34. Core conditions
Based on conditions of worth
1. Congruence - genuineness or realness, in
relationship between therapist & client -being
oneself in the therapeutic relationship with
client
2. Unconditional positive regard- acceptance
and caring, but not approval of all behaviour
3. Accurate empathic understanding –
understanding of client’s frame of reference,
ability to deeply grasp the client’s subjective
world & communicate this back to the client
35. Therapy Relationship
• Based on the actualising
tendency
• The client is the expert on
themselves
• In other words: The Client
Knows Best
• This influences all aspects of
therapy
36. “It is the client who knows
what hurts, what directions
to go, what problems are
crucial, what experiences
have been deeply buried"
Rogers 1961
37. Six conditions necessary and
sufficient for change
1. Two persons are in psychological contact
2. The first, the client, is experiencing incongruency, is
vulnerable and anxious
3. The second person, the therapist, is congruent or
integrated in the relationship
4. The therapist experiences unconditional positive regard
or real caring for the client
5. The therapist experiences empathy for the client’s
internal frame of reference and endeavors to
communicate this to the client
6. The client perceives, to a minimal degree, this
unconditional positive and imperfect understanding by the
therapist.
39. Therapeutic Process
1.The therapist does not attempt to
solve the problem
2.The therapist trusts the actualising
tendency of the client
3.Through a trusting relationship
where they are understood and
accepted, the actualising tendency
motivates the person towards health
40. Therapeutic Process
4. It is a collaborative relationship: the
therapist and client on a therapeutic
journey together
5. The therapist communicates empathy,
Checks understanding with the client, and
in the process discloses a non-judgemental
attitude.
43. Strengths
• The greatest strength has been
attention to the therapeutic relationship
• The relationship is the curative factor in
and of itself
• Diagnostic categories become a
description of dis-ease
• The introduction of concept of the client
rather than patient
44. Weaknesses
• Overly focused on the therapy relationship excludes
other factors that may cause psychological distress
• The theory separates and isolates individual from
society: the individual can heal himself?
• The assumption that disturbances are the result of
individual's personal history rather than their social
context: e.g. Poverty, oppression, racism etc
• "pitfall of reducing the political to the person"
Chantler
• It is dependent upon the ability and talent of
individual practitioner fufilling the core conditions.
There are no techniques or interventions to fall back
on.
46. Positive psychology
• Positive psychology is a recent branch of
psychology whose purpose was summed up
in 2000 by Martin Seligman
• "We believe that a psychology of positive human
functioning will arise that achieves a scientific
understanding and effective interventions to
build thriving in individuals, families, and
communities.“
• Positive psychologists seek "to find and nurture
genius and talent", and "to make normal life
more fulfilling", not simply to treat mental illness
47. 3 Areas of Positive
psychology
1. Pleasant Life, or the "life of enjoyment“:
how people optimally experience positive
feelings and emotions of normal and
healthy living (e.g. relationships, hobbies,
interests, entertainment, etc.).
2. The Good Life, or the "life of engagement“:
the beneficial affects of individuals feel
when optimally engaged with their primary
activities: when there is a positive match
between a person's strength and the task
they are doing
48. 3 Areas of Positive
psychology
3. The Meaningful Life, or "life of affiliation“: individuals
derive a positive sense of well-being, belonging,
meaning, and purpose from being part of and
contributing back to something larger and more
permanent than themselves (e.g. nature, social
groups, organizations, movements, traditions, belief
systems).
50. Readings & Resources
1. McLeod J. (2009) An Introduction to Counselling. Chap 6
2. Corey, G. (2009) Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy.
Chap 7
3. Colledge, R (2002) Mastering Counselling. Chap 5 & 9.
4. Dryden, W ( 2007) Dryden’s Handbook of Individual therapy (5th ed).
Chap 6
5. Cave, S (1999) Therapeutic Approaches in Psychology, chap 6
Advanced Reading
1. Rogers (1961) On Becoming a Person: A therapist’s view of
psychotherapy
2. Kirschenbaum & Hendersonn (1990) The Carl Rogers Reader.
3. Wilkins (2010) Person-centred Therapy: 100 key points
4. Feltham ( 2010) Chap 1 the pros and cons of UPR; chap 24 Limitations of
person centred approach; chap 43 is counselling non directive and value
free?
5.Dryden (2007) chap 6 , 9,
Notas del editor
Studied in Seminary, became child psychologist influenced by Adler’s concepts of work with children and families
Emphasized taking personal responsibility for one’s own life
In his life: questioning stance, deep openness to change, courage to go into unknown places
Humanism
Philosophical movement that emphasizes worth of the individual and the centrality of human values
Attends to matters of ethics & personal worth
Gives credit to the human spirit
Emphasis on creative, spontaneous & active nature of humans-optimistic
Human capacity to overcome hardship & despair
Nondeterministic
Rogers like the Existentialists would argue that it is an oversimplification to view people as controlled by fixed physical laws
People cannot be viewed simply as “cogs in a vast machine”
Encouragement of therapy that considers individual initiative, creativity, & self-fulfillment
Focus on active, positive aspects of human growth and achievement
Self-Actualization
Innate process by which a person tends to grow spiritually and realize potential
Through self-exploration person could live in harmony with nature and all of humanity by integrating various psychic forces to become “whole” person
Selfish drives could be explored, understood & integrated with the spiritual aspects of human
The Experiencing Person
Important issues must be defined by individual-special concern are discrepancies between what a person thinks of himself & total range of things he experiences
People tend to develop in a positive direction, that unless thwarted, they achieve their potential
Belief in natural goodness of people-Rousseau
Inner self-control is better than forced, external control
Human Potential Movement
Begun in 1960’s-Roger’s ended his life in this movement-His special focus Peace & Racial Harmony
Use small group meetings, self-disclosure, & introspection
People realize their inner potentials
Encounter groups, massage, meditation, consciousness raising, communing with nature, organic food
E.g.: Environmental concerns, Quality Circles, Team self-management
Person-Centered Therapy
A reaction against the directive and psychoanalytic approaches
A reaction against “Medical Model” called clients rather than patients
People are essentially trustworthy, vast potential for understanding selves, & resolving their own problems without direct intervention by therapist & are capable of self-directed growth if involved in therapeutic relationship
Roger’s Challenged Traditional Models of Therapy
He questioned assumption that “the counselor knows best”
He questioned validity of advice, suggestion, persuasion, teaching, diagnosis & interpretation
He challenged belief that clients cannot understand & resolve their own problems with direct help from experts
He questioned focus on problems rather than on people in therapy
Person-Centered Therapy’s Emphasis
Therapy as a journey shared by two fallible people
The person’s innate striving for self-actualization
The personal characteristics of the therapist and the quality of the therapeutic relationship
The counselor’s creation of a permissive, “growth promoting” climate
People are capable of self-directed growth if involved in a therapeutic relationship
Necessary Conditions from Therapist to Client Attitudes more important than knowledge
Congruence - genuineness or realness, in relations between therapist & client -being oneself in the therapeutic relationship with client
Unconditional positive regard- acceptance and caring, but not approval of all behavior
Accurate empathic understanding – understanding of client’s frame of references, ability to deeply grasp the client’s subjective world & communicate this to the client
Six Conditions(necessary and sufficient for personality changes to occur)
Two persons are in psychological contact
The first, the client, is experiencing incongruency
The second person, the therapist, is congruent or integrated in the relationship
The therapist experiences unconditional positive regard or real caring for the client
The therapist experiences empathy for the client’s internal frame of reference and endeavors to communicate this to the client
The communication to the client is, to a minimal degree, achieved
Congruence & Genuineness
Therapist is real, genuine, integrated & authentic during therapy-model human being struggling for realness
Therapist has no false front, match of inner & outer expression of experience
Therapist can openly express feelings, thoughts, reactions & attitudes present in relationships with client
Unconditional Positive Regard
Therapist communicates deep & genuine caring for client as a person
Caring is unconditional-no evaluation or judgment of client’s feelings, thoughts or behaviors
Caring does not come from need of reciprocal caring of therapist by client
Acceptance & recognition of client’s right to have own beliefs & feelings
Accurate Empathic Understanding
Therapist understands client’s experience & feelings as revealed in interaction
Therapist tries to sense client’s subjective experience in here and now
Sense the other’s feelings as if my own
Capable of reflecting the experience of client back to client-encourages client to be more reflective
Encourages client’s own understanding & clarification of beliefs and worldviews
Process of Therapy
Client’s communications about externals & not self
Client describes feelings but not recognize or “own” them personally
Client talks about self as an object in terms of past experiences
Client experiences feelings in present-just describes them with distrust & fear
Client experiences & expresses feelings freely in present-feelings bubble up
Client accepts own feelings in immediacy & richness
Client trusts new experiences & relates to others openly & freely
The Therapist
Focuses on the quality of the therapeutic relationship
Serves as a model of a human being struggling toward greater realness
Is genuine, integrated, and authentic, without a false front
Can openly express feelings and attitudes that are present in the relationship with the client
Techniques used in Person Centered Therapy
Listening
Accepting
Respecting
Understanding
Responding