By Dr. George Boeree. March 20, 2018
Carl Rogers is one of the most influential theorists, therapists, and researchers in psychology. His approach to therapy is to allow the patient, whom he prefers to call client, to be in control of his own therapy. Originally, he called it nondirective therapy, because he believed that the therapist You should stay away from actively trying to help the customer. Instead, the therapist must be a supportive, listening helper.
Client-centered therapy
Listening is one of those skills that everyone thinks they have, but few actually do. Rogers introduced a “technique” known as reflection: The therapist listens to the client and “mirrors” significant thoughts and feelings by telling the client what he or she heard them say.
Some therapists do this in a mechanical way, which makes them sound like parrots with a psychology degree, but that’s not what Rogers intended. It should be a genuine communication of understanding and concern. Today, the reflection is only a part of what is called the active listening. Rogers believes that the therapist’s job is not so much to do this or that, but rather to “be” in a certain way for the client. He talks about three qualities that the therapist must exhibit during therapy sessions:
- He or she must be congruent. Basically, this comes down to being honest, not being fake. Rogers was particularly concerned that the therapist must be honest regarding his feelings. He felt that clients can always tell when you are faking it, so in order to build trust in the therapeutic relationship, congruence is a necessity.
- He or she must be empathic. The therapist must be able to identify with the client, understanding them not so much as a psychologist but as a person who has also seen part of her problems. The therapist must be able to look into the client’s eyes and see themselves. Active listening is the way the therapist can show that he or she is truly trying to understand the client.
- He or she must show the client a unconditional positive regard. This does not mean that the therapist has to love the client, or even like them. It means that he or she should respect you as a human being, and not judge you. This may be the most difficult thing for a therapist to do, but Rogers believes that only by feeling respect can a client improve.
Equal Counseling Relationships
In previous theories, the therapist was automatically in a “unique” position in the therapeutic relationship. Think of a see-saw where the therapist is higher than the client. There is an inherent “expert” in the advisory relationship. Rogers promoted a more equal relationship between psychologist and client. Now the psychologist and the patient on the see-saw could look at each other directly. Rogers was also one of the first therapists to use the term “client” instead of “patient.”
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