Person-Centered Therapy: Principles, Practice, and Youth

Overview of the Person-Centered Model

The phenomenological Person-Centered Model in counseling psychology focuses on the person receiving therapy rather than on any particular theory being applied. This means that none of the traditional assumptions play a role in the therapeutic process. Traditional views of the counselor-client relationship include the assumption that the counselor knows what is best — both in terms of theory and in terms of each specific client treated. The counselor is assumed to have supreme knowledge and wisdom in applying relevant theories to each case. In terms of the person receiving therapy, the traditionalist assumes that clients are unable to solve their own problems and that they need professional help to do so. The traditional focus is on theory applied to problems, rather than on the person's experience of those problems and how to solve them on a permanent basis.

The Person-Centered Model seeks to discard all focus on theory and problems. Instead, as the name suggests, the focus is on the person involved. All people are assumed to have an innate drive towards self-actualization. This drive is emphasized by developing a therapeutic relationship that does away with the traditional hierarchy of client and therapist. Instead, the therapist aims for an equal relationship in which the client and therapist are seen as two fallible persons in a mutually beneficial partnership. As such, the counselor aims to create a relatively permissive climate in which the client can experience growth. The person is assumed to be capable of self-directed growth with the help of therapy. The main role of the therapist is therefore to create a relationship and an atmosphere in which the client can learn to grow and eventually solve his or her own problems. The therapist cultivates a relationship with the client that encourages self-confidence and eventual self-actualization.

The model assumes the best about individuals: they are essentially rational and constructive beings who aim to realize their full potential, like all other organisms on earth. It is furthermore assumed that each human being is unique, and therefore the therapist cannot be seen as the "expert" in any life other than his or her own. In the same way, the client is assumed to be the only expert in his or her particular situation. The task of the therapist is then not so much to provide counseling as it is to offer guidance by which the client can find solutions to specific and unique problems.

The self of the client plays an essential role in the Person-Centered Model. The self is seen as basically organized and consistent in its relationship with and perception of the "I," as well as in its relationships to people, things, and life in general. The value of these relationships to the particular self involved plays a key role in shaping the form that therapeutic conversations will take. It is also assumed that the self is fluid and flexible — continually changing and adapting to its surroundings and circumstances, even while remaining recognizable.

The aim of the therapeutic relationship is to achieve self-actualization for the individual. This means that the individual will be open to and aware of all experience, able to respond creatively to change, socially effective, and trusting of him- or herself. On the path towards self-actualization, the client may encounter incongruence or maladaptivity — roadblocks that can include an external locus of control and the tendency to search for self-worth from sources other than the self.

The main technique therapists within the Person-Centered Model use is to create an atmosphere of unconditional positive regard for the individual, although not necessarily for all behavior. The client, however, needs to experience the relationship with the therapist as one of mutual trust and safety. In this, the therapist must have an empathic understanding of the client's situation and feelings. The therapist's attitude in this model carries greater weight than theoretical knowledge.

What most resonates about this theory is its focus on the practical application of therapeutic techniques to each individual situation. It is a firm belief rooted in experience that each human being is unique, and that people should be treated as such in any situation, whether therapeutic or not. In personal relationships, concentrating on this uniqueness and learning from it enriches interaction. What is learned in social situations can also inform therapeutic sessions.

Personal Resonance with Person-Centered Principles

The creation of a supportive environment for the client is equally appealing. In few settings in the world would one encounter complete and unconditional acceptance. When building such a relationship with clients, a therapist can provide not only a sense of safety but also a sense of "coming home." The ultimate aim would be to provide a positive atmosphere in which clients no longer fear the consequences of anything they say.

The Person-Centered belief in the innate, positive, self-actualizing nature of humanity is refreshing. While this belief has not been empirically studied in depth, people do seem to respond to a person's expectations to some degree. When people are expected to be fundamentally good, and when one acts accordingly, the result more often than not reflects that expectation. The reverse is also true. When people are expected to behave badly, that is what one tends to see.

The reason for this, however, may not be fundamental goodness or evil in the human heart, but rather the filter of personal expectation. A belief in goodness leads one to emphasize the good things that people do, rather than their less wholesome actions. This does not mean that negative behavior is absent, but rather that its importance is downplayed or given less prominence.

This orientation is fundamentally important in therapy. During a therapeutic session, focusing on the belief that a client is fundamentally striving towards self-actualization communicates itself in both concrete and subtle terms. Actions towards the client can be shaped to emphasize the behaviors that lead to self-actualization while placing less emphasis on those that do not.

In this way, a belief in the client's innate need to actualize him- or herself can be balanced with the realities of his or her actions. While completely accepting the client for who he or she is, subtle words and actions can encourage the self-actualization that is already present. In this way, the therapist can ultimately help clients become their own therapists — the goal being that they will no longer feel any need for a therapist at all, having internalized the role themselves.

Cultural, Ethical, and Legal Challenges

No theory is infallible, and problems may arise on a cultural, ethical, or legal scale when using person-centered therapy. When attempting to expose the inner tendency towards self-actualization, for example, a therapist must be sensitive to the particular culture of the client. A woman from a specific cultural background may have a very different view of self-actualization. For one person, self-actualization may mean fulfilling professional and intellectual ambitions while balancing family life. For another, it may mean being the best possible wife and mother she can be — the result of cultural conditioning or deeply held family values. If that is her definition of self-actualization, it must be understood and respected.

On the other hand, a therapist should not assume a particular type of self-actualization based on culture alone. The drive towards family life, for instance, is not bound to certain cultures or to gender. Sufficient awareness is needed to ask the right questions for exposing each person's particular drive. As a person-centered therapist, one must understand that the goal is not to change the type of self-actualization the client pursues, but only to help the person overcome any roadblocks that stand between them and the fulfillment that self-actualization will bring.

These issues also carry ethical dimensions. It is an ethical obligation to respect the type of self-actualization the client chooses, which requires setting aside personal belief systems in order to play the role of therapist most effectively. The therapeutic relationship is an unconditionally accepting one, and the therapist must adhere to this standard.

This is not always a simple matter, however, and ethical and legal issues may become intertwined. In some cases, a person may cite self-actualization as a reason to perpetuate an abusive or oppressive relationship. When a client appears to be in mortal danger because of distorted self-actualization beliefs, involving police, legal authorities, or social services becomes necessary. Such situations may also require the therapist to testify in court or during informal hearings — circumstances in which it is obviously impossible to respect views of self-actualization that have been distorted by abuse or indoctrination. Once appropriate help has been obtained, therapy may resume, though the relationship of trust that was built may have been undermined by the involvement of legal services or by testimony against behavior the therapist viewed as harmful or unethical.

In professional practice, a focus on teenagers and young adults is particularly compelling because of the vast potential this population carries. Working with young minds to help them fulfill their hopes and dreams promises to be an extremely rewarding experience. Teenagers are on the verge of choosing a career and establishing a meaningful place within society, yet they face significant challenges. Peer pressure may lead to drug abuse, unprotected sex, crime, and gang involvement. Person-centered therapy can help teenagers deal with these pressures by creating a safe space in which to talk and organize their thoughts.