By: A. Lorenzo Lucino Jr
Roger’s Person Centered Therapeutic approach is rather interesting in that besides the three core values of unconditional positive regard, empathic understanding and congruence; it also is supported by the underlying therapeutic concepts of humanism, human potential, conditions of worth, organismic valuing, fully functioning persons and phenomenological perspective. Humanism is the theory that focuses on emotions rather than background or cognition. Humanism shares the following beliefs that the person should be viewed holistically, that each person has an innate self-actualization tendency and that humans have free will and are able to make choices and the issue of free will. Humanism, as proscribed by Rogers, noted that people are strong and capable and trusted their ability to handle their difficulties, grow, and develop and realize their potential.
The concept of Human potential and actualization is a concept that surmises that in the human potential is the inherent tendency of people to develop in positive ways that enhance and maintain themselves as well as humans. The concept of conditions of worth is also important because this shapes their lives and the messages they receive from people. Person Centered Therapy requires the condition of worth because this treatment module tries to provide the climate of acceptance, free of conditions of worth, counteract negative messages that people have rejected and enable them to have complete freedom to be and to choose for themselves. This provides the basis for their ability to self-actualize. Another essential aspect of Person Centered Therapy is the Phenomenological perspective. This perspective is required for person-centered therapists in thinking. This perspective declares that each person has his or her own unique perception of the world and it is this perception that determines the person’s beliefs, behaviors, emotions and relationships (Seligman and Reichenberg, 2010).
The three core aspects of Person Centered Therapy include congruence, unconditional positive regard and empathy. Congruence refers to the clinician’s ability to be genuine and authentic, well integrated and aware of themselves and how they are perceived by others around them; either patients or other fellow clinicians. Persons who are congruent transmit messages that are clear and coherent; their inner and outer selves are consistent. It is important, as therapists, to be genuine, real and to not put a professional front or façade for the client. It is important to note that the careful and deliberate use of self-disclosure can enhance the therapeutic alliance and advance treatments. In order for congruence to take effect and succeed in treatment, it requires sensitivity, openness, and self-awareness on part of the clinician (Murphy and Dillon, 2011).
The concept of unconditional positive regard was introduced to the field of psychology by Rogers. Rogers stated that unconditional positive regard is caring about, respecting, liking, and accepting people for who they are without placing any requirements on them to act, feel, or think in a certain way to please the clinician (Seligman and Reichenberg, 2010). The communication of warmth and positive regard is essential to helping people like themselves, emphasize their positive impulses and emotions, feel powerful enough to successfully cope with their difficulties, and become more fully functioning .
Empathy was defined by Rogers as, “entering the private perceptual world of the other and becoming thoroughly at home in it. It involves being sensitive, moment by moment, to the changing felt meanings which flow in this other person, to the fear or range or tenderness or confusion or whatever that he or she is experiencing. It means temporarily living in the other’s life, moving about in it delicately without making judgments; it means sensing meanings of which he or she is scarcely aware, but not trying to uncover totally unconscious feelings, “ (Seligman and Reichenberg, 2010, p. 154). Empathy is actually powerful. Empathic listening showed one’s ability to deeply grasp the subjective world of another person and transmitting understanding of that world to enhance the client’s self-awareness and thus was a powerful force for change (Seligman and Reichenberg, 2010).
It is effective to apply these aspects universally across all treatment approaches as it has been shown to be effective and popular. The reasons why it is popular are because the outcome research on the core conditions continues to verify that Rogers was correct in that empathy, unconditional positive regard and a sound therapeutic alliance have all been shown to be effective in positive therapeutic outcomes. Broad application of this approach and ease of integration into other treatment models is also seen. One also has to note that the positive and optimistic nature of Person-Centered Therapy; this is the basis of new styles of therapy shaping the current practice of therapy in general and experiential therapy. Person-Centered Therapy can be used in the group setting, child therapy setting, and even in individual settings.
Existential therapy does not really focus on pathology so to say. This form of therapy has broadened the reaches of psychotherapy beyond pathology and symptoms and legitimized inclusion in the treatment process of deep and philosophical issues such as existential anxiety, isolation, fear of death, actualization, freedom and the meaning of life. Existential therapy puts more emphasis people’s commonalities and also attends to the importance of each person’s experience within his or her cultural context (Seligman and Reichenberg, 2010). What I really like about existential therapy is that it tries to connect with others across cultural, national, racial and other boundaries on a spiritual level. One of the interesting aspects that I do like about clinical psychology is that there are a plethora of therapeutic modules that we can utilize to assess the initial complaint that the client has. In cases of severe psychopathology, it might be pertinent to use other modules such as psychodynamic psychotherapy or even perhaps classical psychoanalytical psychotherapy for persons with say Obsessive Compulsive Disorders, Schizophrenia, Depression, Phobias etc.
Linkback:
https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=50564.0
