Module 7
Therapeutic Approaches in Social casework Interventions
Client- Centered Therapy
Quadrant 3
Glossary
Term Definition
Self -The self concept is one’s image of oneself. The awareness of
being (What I am) and awareness of function (what I can do) are
especially included in this concept.
-The self concept includes not only one’s perceptions of what
one is like but also what one thinks one ought to be and would
like to be. This latter component of the self is called the ideal
self. The ideal self represents the self concept that the individual
would most like to possess. It is basically equivalent to the
superego in Freudian Theory. (Hjelle & Ziegler, 1992)
Congruence Congruence means that the therapist is authentic and genuine.
Congruence or genuineness is the first and primary requirement,
for nobody can respect others or be empathic unless he is
himself open to experience, free of facade, and self deceit. The
therapist should be aware of his own full experience and
feelings, and should be able to communicate them to the client
openly where and when necessary.
Empathy Empathy refers to the therapist’s ability to understand the client
at a deep level. Rogers refers to the internal frame of reference
to denote the client’s unique experience of personal problems.
Transparency Transparency means even negative feelings about a client, if any
exist, are expressed. The therapist shows a non-possessive
feeling of love for the client and is able to, after a time, be
empathetic enough to understand the client sufficiently to
metaphorically walk in the individual’s shoes.
Concreteness Concreteness is the therapist’s skill in focusing the client’s
discussion on specific events, thoughts and feelings that matter
while discouraging abstract story telling. Concreteness is a
precaution against the rambling that can occur when the other
three conditions are employed without sufficient attention to
identifying the client’s themes.
Active Listening Active listening technique is emphasised in client – centered
therapy as reflection of content and feelings which requires
highly attentive and interactive listening skills. The physical
steps common to this are facing the clients, leaning towards them
and making good eye contact.
Web Resources:
1. Carl [Link] - resources for students, researchers and practitioners.
[Link] accessed 17th January 2014
2. Interviews & Presentations
[Link] accessed 17th January 2014
3. The Person-Centered Journal (PCJ), the oldest continuously running person-centered
peer reviewed publication in English, sponsored by the Association for the Development
of the Person-Centered Approach (ADPCA) to promote and disseminate scholarly
thinking about person-centered principles, practices, and philosophy. (The free
downloadable content requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.)
[Link] accessed 17th January 2014
4. The British Association for the Person-Centred Approach
[Link] accessed 17th January 2014
5. Significant Aspects of Client-Centered Therapy - Carl R. Rogers (1946)
[Link] [Link]/Rogers/[Link]#f1 accessed 17th January 2014
Bibliography
Capuzzi, D. & Gross, D.R. (1999). Counseling and Psychotherapy: Theories and Interventions.
Hough, M. (2006). Counseling Skills and Theory. 2nd edition. Hodder Arnold, Great Britain.
Prochaska, J.O & Norcross, J.C. 2007. Systems of Psychotherapy: A Trans-theoretical Analysis.
Rogers, C. (1951). Client-centered psychotherapy. Houghton-Mifflin, Boston.
Rogers, C. (1977). Carl Rogers on personal power: Inner strength and its revolutionary impact.
Rogers, C. (1980). A Way of Being. Houghton-Mifflin, [Link] Health Assembly (2005).,
Disability, including prevention, Management and Rehabilitation, World Health Organization
BOOKS ON CLIENT CENTERED THERAPY
Title Client-centered therapy: Its current practice, implications and theory
Author(s) Rogers, Carl R.
Publisher Houghton Mifflin/ Constable & Robinson, Ltd.
ISBN 1841198404
Title Person-centered therapy: A revolutionary paradigm
Author(s) Bozarth, J.D.
Publisher Ross-on-Wye, UK: PCCS Books [Link]
ISBN 1898059225
Title The tribes of the person-centred nation: An introduction to the schools of therapy
related to the person-centered approach.
Author(s) Sanders, P. (Ed.),
Publisher Ross-on-Wye, UK: PCCS Books [Link]
ISBN 1898059608
Interesting Facts:
CARL R. ROGERS - LIFE HISTORY
Carl Rogers was born on January 8, 1902 in Oak Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, the fourth of
six children. His father was a successful civil engineer and his mother was a housewife and
devout Christian.
His education started in the second grade, because he could already read before kindergarten.
When Carl was 12, his family moved to a farm about 30 miles west of Chicago, and it was here
that he was to spend his adolescence. With a strict upbringing and many chores, Carl was to
become rather isolated, independent, and self- disciplined.
He went on to the University of Wisconsin as agriculture major. Later, he switched to religion to
study for the ministry. During this time, he was selected as one of ten students to go to Beijing
for the “World Student Christian Federation Conference” for six months. This new experience so
broadened his thinking that he began to doubt some of his basic religious views.
After graduation, he married Helen Elliot (against his parents’ wishes), moved to New York
City, and began attending the Union Theological Seminary, a famous liberal religious institution.
Rogers switched to the clinical psychology programme of Columbia University, and received his
PhD in 1931.
The idea of person centered therapy was first introduced by Carl Rogers in the 1930s. He
believed that when working with someone in therapy, he or she should be viewed as a
client/person, rather than just a patient. His theory held that the therapist and the client were on
equal standing, unlike in the past where the therapist was assumed to be on a higher level than
the patient.
Before the 1900s, psychologists such as Freud focused on aggression and sexual tendencies as
the forces that defined human nature. But person centered therapy defines human behavior as
being motivated by the good in people and the desire to reach one’s highest potential.
SOME MORE PICTURES ON Carl Roger’s Client / Person Centered Therapy
Youtube video links:
Carl Rogers Empathy Lecture parts 1 and 2 [Link]
Carl Rogers and Gloria - Counselling (1965) Full Session
[Link]
