Therapeutic Approach - Client Centered
Developed in the 1950's by Carl Rogers and often referred to as Humanistic Psychotherapy, this approach has been criticized, sometimes rightly so, for its lack of structure and direction. I wanted to include it here, however, to underscore a few critical concepts:
- Unconditional positive regard: This describes the therapists overarching attitude toward his or her client. It is very much what it appears to be. The client centered approach views the client without judgment or prejudice and in a fashion that is ultimately positive and affirming.
- Non-directive: This means that the client ultimately determines the course and pace of treatment without direction from or the authority of the therapist. Stated another way, the therapist is essentially passive in this relationship, asking very few questions, though occasionally prompting the client forward through reflection on what the client is telling the therapist.
The client centered approach affirms the client's intrinsic value as a human being as well as the client's ultimate autonomy and self-direction. It derives from a school of talk therapy in which clients are seen as the source of their own "cure," so to speak, working out and organizing their own solutions as they talk through them. See also Focusing and felt sense as it applies to largely self-directed acceptance and healing through counseling or therapy.
